


ANOTHER YEAR OVER

by ProjectXbyM



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Coming Untouched, Connor & Gavin Reed Friendship, Connor & Gavin are partners, Connor & Tina are a thing, Connor has a temper, Cyborg Gavin Reed, Developing Relationship, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, F/M, First Kiss in Chapter 9, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Gavin Reed Redemption, Gavin Reed-centric, Gen, Hank Anderson & Connor Parent-Child Relationship, M/M, Mirror Sex, Nines has a human family, Nines real name is Nathaniel, Nines' dad used to be Hank's partner, Nines' family is Italian, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Prosthesis, Sex in Chapter 15 & 23, Sexual Interfacing, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900, Soft Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed Friendship, Upgraded Connor | RK900 Has a Different Name, versatile couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:48:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 40,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27076777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProjectXbyM/pseuds/ProjectXbyM
Summary: Another year of Detective Gavin Reed’s harsh life has passed. The Android Revolution turned his world upside down, and then he lost an entire limb while partnered with a certain RK800 known as Connor Anderson.Despite it all, Gavin is happy. Optimistic. And not just because he has Cyberlife’s most advanced RK series prosthetic sitting in the place of his right arm.He and Connor are tasked to oversee the probations of fifteen new DPD officers. Among them is Nines, an RK900 prototype and adopted son of Hank Anderson’s former police partner. Rich, confident and dripping with Italian charm, he makes an immediate play for Gavin.Meanwhile, Connor is on a trip of his own, dealing with past trauma and the unspoken burden of being Hank’s son. The only person able to quell his bursts of anger and violence is his new girlfriend, Tina Chen.Gavin is initially swept up by an intense passion for the successor model to his partner… but is soon plagued by a strange guilt for diving headfirst into a relationship with someone the Andersons are deeply discomfited by.Stay tuned as Detroit’s finest navigate this complex web of friendship, love and family.
Relationships: Connor & Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson & Connor & Gavin Reed, Tina Chen & Gavin Reed, Tina Chen/Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 20
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they first meet.

**NOVEMBER 11, 2039 - 07:56**  
_Evidence Room, Detroit Police Department Central Station_

Detective Gavin Reed stands quietly, surveying the room. It’s been set up exactly as he wants it, with important pieces from a recently closed case. He mentally goes over what he wants to say about each artefact. It’s been a long time since he’s cared this much, put in this much effort... but what the hell, not everyone gets second chances. So he straightens his tie, adjusts his dress uniform and silently practices the tour of the station he’s planned for their new officers. Of the Law Enforcement Academy’s class of 2039, fifteen graduating officers would be serving their probationary period with Gavin’s unit. New blood… both red and blue.

It’s been a year since Gavin had his ass handed to him in this very room. A year since the Android Revolution, and the shifting of his entire world beneath his feet. Nine months since the beginning of his unexpectedly fruitful partnership with the same person that had knocked the living daylights out of him. Six months to the day they’d first referred to one another as friends… and three months since Gavin had used the right side of his body to shield the critically weakened android from an onslaught of heavy gunfire. His arm… had to be _replaced_... but what was truly shocking, was that he didn’t really mind. Simply put, Gavin Reed was a changed man.

Familiar, measured footsteps broke through the silence of the evidence room. A figure in navy blue materialised on his left. The telltale glow of an LED emanated through the dimly lit space. Gavin didn’t take his eyes off the rusted wrench on the evidence table in front of him.

“A year ago it was me sneaking up on you. In this exact same room. Crazy how things change.”

There was no response.

“I am truly sorry about that day. About everything I did before the Revolution. It’s all just coming back to me now, standing here. How many things I did wrong. And then how much we all had to change. It’s been... intense. But I’m glad it wasn’t too late for us. I’m glad we’re both still here.”

Still no response. Gavin glanced to his left briefly, and frowned. The same uniform as his, but missing the insignia of the Detective rank. It wasn’t at all like Connor to forget something like that. Perhaps he was even more affected by the momentousness of the occasion than Gavin. The induction of new android and human police officers on the first anniversary of the Revolution. It was a lot.

Gavin turned to face his partner, reaching out with his right hand. Neither of them had been very verbal when alone with one another since the _incident_. It was initially uncomfortable and overwhelming for Gavin, but they’d taken to… _interfacing_. The prosthetic was a piece of Cyberlife’s latest technology. The world's first foray into cyborgia. It was worth a fortune way beyond Gavin’s salary and compensation from the DPD… but he’d woken up from the medically induced coma to the revelation that Hank Anderson had casually shelled out his entire life savings. _(“You could’ve just bought me a regular arm if you wanted to thank me for the trouble. Why’d you wreck your whole retirement plan for some random asshole from work?” “You’re definitely an asshole, but not random. We go back a long way… and you saved my kid. I need you to stick around to keep doing that.” “You’re crazy… just, don’t tell anyone about this, please. I don’t need the attention.” “No kidding. I don’t need people sniffing around my finances and accusing me of having favourites either.”)_

And then, just a few microseconds short of retracting the synthetic skin on his hand, Gavin stopped in his tracks. He was looking into a familiar face, alright, but the eyes boring into him were anything but. Piercing grey, rather than a comforting brown. The man was nearly a head taller too, and the set of his jaw was nothing short of intimidating. Not Connor. Not at all. The android held his powerful gaze for a few moments and then... burst into laughter. In complete shock, Gavin stepped back and numbly read the name printed on his chest. _N Fox._

“Oh man. I’m sorry, Detective Reed. I forgot I look just like your partner. He sent me to come get you. Induction’s about to start and you weren’t answering your phone.”

“Who…?” Gavin could barely get the question out. How many more hard knocks would his sense of reality have to endure?

“Nathaniel Fox. But everybody calls me Nines. I’m one of your new probies.”

“Why…?”

“Why do I have a human name? Well… I’m adopted, I guess. The Jericho crew found, like, three hundred of us at Cyberlife Tower late last year. We didn’t have anywhere to go, and there were a lot of human homes with empty places at their dining tables… so basically, yeah… a kind old couple stopped at the android pound and took me to my forever home.”

Gavin could only blink at him.

“Or why do they call me Nines? That’s simple… that started at Jericho. Model number RK900… nine hundred… nine… Ninesssss. And then at the Academy. You know how it is. Everyone’s got a tag. And you gotta admit, Nines is pretty cool.”

“Why… how… okay.”

“Let’s go, Detective! The ceremony! Impressions count. I don’t want to be the last one in.”

With that, Nathaniel…? Nines? turned on his heel and exited the evidence room. Gavin heaved a sigh and followed. It seemed... that he could never quite catch a break.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin realizes what he's in for.

**NOVEMBER 11, 2039 - 10:37**

_Break room, Detroit Police Department Central Station_

“Are you feeling alright, Gavin? You looked a little pale all through the induction. Great tour though. You did a good job. I think they like you already.” 

Gavin stirred his coffee slowly. One sugar, two cream. He removed his peaked cap and loosened his tie.

“Yeah thanks, Connor. I’m fine. Just forgot how stuffy these uniforms can be.” 

A pair of doe eyes surveyed him. Gavin knew that a full bioscan was probably underway… even though it had been outlawed unless the android in question had obtained explicit consent or a warrant to do so. And scan or no scan, there was no way he’d be able to get away with lying to his partner after all they'd been through together in the past year. So he continued, “Also, it’s kind of nuts that we’re looking after all the new kids… and Fowler's promotion… your Dad taking over… the rest of us having to step up.”

“It _is_ a lot more pressure, but that’s why we’re both still here. I don’t think either of us would rather it be any other way.” 

“Yeah… but neither of us have a great reputation. Well, I definitely don’t… and you’re getting there too. You really need to cool it in the interrogation room. Watch your step around those probies. We’ll have to replace all the interview tables in this station if they pick up your habits.”

Connor tipped his head back and laughed. An easy, tinkling sound. Gavin smiled. It was so incredibly strange, but he knew they’d get through anything, standing by one another. So he decided to share his next stress point. 

“That Fox kid is already making me nervous.”

Connor stopped laughing and ran a hand through his synthetic hair.

“Which one?”

“What!? There’s more than one? Why didn’t you tell me we’ll have a bunch of your clones running around the place? Wasn’t it just the tall creepy guy you sent to find me earlier?” 

“Oh, he has a human brother. Noel. The blond one. He started at the Academy three years earlier. They graduated at the same time because- ”

“Android. Very advanced android.”

“Yes… more so than me. So I’ll have to admit, he also makes me… nervous.” 

Gavin closed his eyes. He opened them almost immediately as a burst of raucous laughter came from the direction of the bullpen, followed by the smattering of applause. He didn’t need his detective instincts to tell him who or what was probably the origin of it. Connor gave him a small, resigned smile and led the way back. 

The Fox brothers had started a game of clipboard tennis in the open space between the desks. Their fellow newcomers gathered around, cheering and filming the volleys on their phones. Even their most senior colleagues stood by watching with amused expressions on their faces. Connor looked helplessly at Gavin. Someone would have to do the unpleasant deed and break the game up. Gavin had no problem being unpleasant. 

“Hey! Knock that shit off. People are trying to work here. Split into two groups. One with me. The other with Detective Anderson. We need to hand out your assignments for the first month.”

The new officers moved immediately. Nines dropped the makeshift tennis ball into a wastepaper basket and stood beside Gavin. His brother and six others lined up behind him. Connor also had a similar line in front of him within the minute. That was surprising. He’d expected a lot more resistance. Gavin’s best friend, Tina, caught his eye across the bullpen and nodded in mock appreciation. She then turned to Connor and gave him a much more genuine thumbs up. 

“Right. Follow me. There’s not that many of us now so we can move this to an interview room. Also, by the way, forgive me if I take a while to get all your names right. I’m just a dumb old human.” 

Gavin turned and waved an arm over his shoulder, indicating for them to follow. He could just imagine the sight. An ugly duck and his ducklings. 

“Come on, Detective. You’re not that old.” 

Gavin didn’t need to turn back to see who’d piped up. He shook his head and carried on. It seemed… that he had a smartass on his hands. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they all go out for some simple Friday drinks. Or so they think.

**NOVEMBER 25, 2039 - 19:23**

_Abick’s Bar, Gilbert Street_

“God, I can’t believe this place is still standing! Hank, you really are an old relic.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell me you weren’t one of those teenagers that used to come here and post pseudo-nostalgic stories about being born in the wrong generation.”

Gavin held up his hands in mock surrender and slid into the booth beside Connor. Hank and Fowler sat across from them, examining the hard copy menus like a pair of archeologists who’d chanced upon some rare artefacts.

“So, how you boys holding up? Probies drive you completely insane yet?” 

Connor’s only response to Fowler was to lean his head against the wall and groan. The two older men found this highly amusing. 

“This is sweet, sweet karma. At least in Gavin’s case. Jeffrey, do you remember what a little nightmare he was? His field reports used to be so thin on details that you could barely make out whether the store had been robbed or bombed!” 

“Oh Lord, I couldn’t forget if I wanted to. His batch also had this running joke… the Chief back in the day nearly had a breakdown when he found out. They used to add pieces of fresh ‘evidence’ to cold cases. My brand new office stapler got catalogued as an item found in a victim’s possession… back in 2021! It was all fun and games until another body showed up with the exact same signature after four years.” 

Gavin cracked a smile at that. He glanced over at Connor, who was still slumped against the wall. His LED was still blue, but there was definitely something simmering away within his processors. Gavin took advantage of the small distraction caused by the arrival of the waitress and placed his cybernetic hand over Connor’s under the table. Keeping his face impassive, Connor briefly retracted the synthetic skin and sent across a single phrase: _“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”_ The link closed before Gavin could make out anything more than a blur of familiar faces from the precinct. Tina’s was foremost. Gavin moved his hand away, reassured that she must have recently spoken to Connor about whatever was bothering him. He placed his order and tuned back into the conversation in the booth.

“Yeah, they were horrible. Him and Tina and their noisy little friends. They all are, when they first get here. But I’m curious, what’s this batch like? First one after the Revolution… first one with androids that went through the Academy like everyone else… even if it might’ve been a shorter timeframe…”

Having no point of reference, Connor merely shrugged. “They’re alright. Friendly. Extremely eager when we gave them their assignments and matched them with their field training officers. I personally had a couple of them help me with some monitoring work. They’re okay.” 

Gavin knew that his partner was referring to Nines and Noel Fox… and that they were far from _okay_ , but he chose not to comment on that… or mention the RK900 in his answer.

“They’re as dumb as I was when I started. Which is normal… and good. Even the six androids. But I guess that’s deviancy for you. Botched witness interviews. Mislabeled evidence. Getting lost on patrol. Everything. It’s like herding cats. The saving grace is that they’re police models with inbuilt programming that can save them from the worst of their own decision making… but other than that it’s just classic probie behaviour. Also… I’d say the good thing this year, is that everyone is definitely here for the right reasons, with full knowledge of what they’re getting into… and by their own choice. I’m actually happy for our unit.”

Hank and Fowler looked pleased at that. Fowler took a sip of his drink and leaned forward. 

“What about you, son? How’s everything been since the raid? Didn’t expect you back so soon… taking on all this work. How’s the arm? Seems like you regained movement completely.” 

Gavin tried to frame his answer without telling his Commander a blatant lie. The father and son duo weren’t being very helpful. They both looked at his arm so pointedly that it was a miracle Fowler’s suspicions weren’t aroused. 

“Yeah… it’s been better than expected. Gives me a little trouble at night when it gets cold outside, but nothing a weekly physio can’t fix.” 

Fowler reached over the table to pat Gavin on the shoulder fondly. He then shifted in his seat to watch the basketball game playing on the television mounted above the bar. Hank told Fowler the score and the two of them fell into an old pattern of simultaneously cheering on and chastising the players. Gavin turned towards Connor again. The android’s eyes had glazed over and his LED spun yellow. He was texting someone. Gavin watched as he typed… then backspaced… and retyped… maybe threw in an emoji… and then decided against it… and sent the message. A dreamy look settled over his face as he returned to the real world. 

“You good, Tincan?” 

“When am I not?” 

Gavin shook his head and downed the last dregs of his beer. It seemed… that he was not the only one with something to hide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's out at a family dinner right now, but Nines will be back in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where the Andersons and Gavin make fools of themselves... and Nines makes a move.

**NOVEMBER 25, 2039 - 22:45**

_Gilbert Street, Detroit_

Gavin Reed was feeling very warm. And cold. And happy. And sad. Very very sad. He told his companions as much. Several times. Loudly. 

The evening had passed more or less unremarkably, but for Connor’s reticence and the periodic flickering of his LED. Fowler had left after the basketball game ended, and some of Hank’s other old friends from the Force came and joined them. More rounds were ordered. It was an average Friday night at a cop bar… but for Hank and Gavin exceeding Connor’s three drink limit by a _wide_ margin before the distracted android finally noticed. He herded the pair out of the bar with an arm around each of them. 

“Connor, I’m sad. Hank, I’m… _sad._ Tincaaaan, I’m……...sssssad.” 

“Oh, Gavin. Sadness is the ultimate truth. No existence can escape it. We are born alone and we die al-”

“What the hell is wrong with the two of you? I should show you the tab you just ran up. That’ll get you sober. Completely wrecked our savings target for the month. We’re still behind on the last few payments for Gavin’s… treatment… and Dad, after everything we’ve been through, I thought we agreed on three-”

“AY! Whasss your problem, Tincan? Let your Daddy live a little. Don’t give him… _shit…_ ’cause of me. I dunno... I dunno why you’re doing this. I’m a WASTE of your money. Bad bad news… rip it off. Take it back to Cy-Cyyyybbbuuu-”

Gavin suddenly swayed out of the circle of Connor’s arm. As he veered near the edge of the sidewalk, Hank lurched towards him protectively, but instead brought the three of them to the ground in a heap.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, DAD!” 

There was a buzz of voices and movement above them. They seemed to have landed at the feet of other bar patrons waiting for their respective rides home. 

“Detectives? Captain Anderson?”

Fellow police and associates, most likely. Two of them leaned down and helped Gavin stand up. He was just about to thank his benefactors when his blurred vision cleared... to reveal Nines and Noel Fox standing before him. Looking like something out of a fashion magazine. Cashmere turtlenecks and lambskin jackets.

“The hell you pricks doin’ here?”

“It’s a bar, Detective. I presume you’re familiar with the concept?”

Fair point, but Gavin felt like asking the question again. Emphasis on the “here”. The brothers were dressed for a completely different postcode than their current location, which could be described as “middle income” at best. Two more figures materialized behind Nines. A tall man with an elegant black trench coat over his business suit and a fair-haired woman in a delicate grey ensemble. _“Mom and Dad…”_ supplied Gavin’s whiskey-soaked brain.

“Hank? Are you alright? Took quite a tumble there, old buddy. Do you need to sit down?” 

“Evening, Nate. I’m fine. Doing just _fine_. Thanks for your… concern _._ As always. Connor, call us a cab, why don’t you? Think our evening’s come to quite a _decent_ _end_.” 

Connor muttered something angrily in response, meant for only Hank to hear. Gavin continued to stare drunkenly at the Fox family. He’d had a very modest upbringing and worked extremely hard to compensate for that in his adulthood. Early in his efforts, he’d schooled himself to _never_ feel inadequate in the presence of people more privileged than he was… but that was easily forgotten under the influence of alcohol.

“Hank! You’ve never introduced me to these fine specimens before. Both of them your boys?” 

Even thoroughly inebriated, Gavin knew that was _u_ _tter_ bullshit. There was zero familial resemblance between the three of them apart from the ratty, faded clothing they wore. Also, the man surely hadn’t missed the shining LED on Connor’s temple… or that he was practically the mirror image of Nines. Nevertheless, Hank played along, much to the warming of Gavin’s cold, cold heart. 

“Yes, Nate. You should drop by my station more often. This is Connor. Gavin. Best detectives in their unit. Just your luck they’re actually supervising your sons’ probation.” 

Nathaniel Fox Sr raised his eyebrows. He quickly said goodbye to someone leaving the bar, slipped a sleek business card into their hands, and turned back to survey the messy trio. Gavin experienced a wave of nausea and swayed dangerously. He decided to sit down against the wall of the bar to prevent further loss of dignity. Connor was staring into space, LED flickering yellow again as he carried on the text conversation he’d been preoccupied with all evening. _Fine specimens, indeed_. 

“Yes. Just our luck.” 

An autonomous taxi rolled up to the curb. Hank waved an airy hand as Connor bundled him into the car. Gavin remained on the ground. His head spun wildly and his stomach threatened to betray him any second. Connor crouched down in front of him, ready to lift and carry him if necessary.

“Need a minute, Con… please.” 

Connor glanced around. The small crowd outside the bar had begun watching the unsavoury scene. Nines stepped in smoothly.

“Detective Anderson, may I suggest that you go ahead with your father? I’ll wait with Detective Reed until he feels well enough to get into a car. Dad, I think I saw Commander Mattison inside earlier. You said you’d been meaning to catch up with her? About the new restaurant in Bricktown?”

Nines’ human family nodded politely and retreated back into the bar. The rest of the crowd melted away and went back to chatting and smoking and doing whatever off-duty cops did. Connor straightened up and looked Nines in the eye. 

“Get him home safe. Report with photographic evidence.”

Nines’ LED went amber briefly, but he nodded. 

“Yes, Detective.” 

As the taxi rolled away, Nines crouched down and took Connor’s place by Gavin’s side. He reached out and gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen over Gavin’s forehead, fingers lingering at his brow. 

“Take your time, Detective Reed. I’m right here with you.” 

There was no trace of mockery or amusement in his voice. Nines then sat down against the wall, too. He pulled a pack of expensive-looking cigarettes out of his jacket and lit one. At that, Gavin had to lift his head up from between his knees.

“You smoke?” 

“Well the nicotine obviously does nothing for androids, but the act of smoking… is calming in and of itself. Our sensors can also pick up notes of flavour and fragrance that most humans miss… you know? The finer things?” 

Nines took a drag of the cigarette and held it out to Gavin, who took it without hesitation. He inhaled gratefully and allowed the smoke to clear his head. He sighed and leaned his head back.

“Finer things, huh? Wouldn’t have pegged you for a rich kid.” 

“Whatever gave you that idea, Detective?” 

“Oh please. I recognize your father. _The_ Nate Fox. The decorated officer that left the DPD to become a successful entrepreneur. I should’ve at least realized why your name sounded so familiar. _Kind old couple stopped by the android pound._ My ass. Your kind old couple is practically royalty in this town.” 

“Well, I hope that whatever you might have heard about them doesn’t cloud your judgement of my brother and I.”

Gavin shrugged and passed the cigarette back to Nines. “Who am I to judge anyone?”

“Are you feeling better, Detective?”

“Yes, thanks. Didn't mean to make you wait. Get on with your night. I’ll find a ride-”

“Nonsense. Noel just texted to say they got pulled into a game of rummy. I can drive you home and be back before they’re anywhere near done. If you’re feeling okay, let’s go. We parked in the lane just up ahead.”

Nines stood, stubbed the cigarette out on the wall and hauled Gavin up by the elbow. They walked to the striking black 2039 Maybach in companionable silence. Nines hurried round the side of the car to open the passenger door for Gavin. It seemed… that yet again, Gavin’s life was about to change drastically.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which Gavin is stuck in a car with three insufferable but adorable idiots.

**NOVEMBER 29, 2039 - 21:33**

_West Torrance Avenue, Detroit_

The buzz of Gavin’s phone broke through the silence in the stationary car. His right hand curled over it immediately, thumb sliding across the screen. He glanced to his left. Tina was in the backseat next to him, seemingly gazing out of the window into the frosty night. Her phone lay unlocked on her lap. Gavin sighed and looked down at his own. 

_Tina: Is he ok?_

Gavin didn’t need to ask who she was referring to. There were waves of annoyance practically emanating from the android in the driver’s seat. His LED had been giving off a static yellow light for the past few hours. It could’ve been the stakeout getting on his synthetic nerves… Friday night replaying in his head… whatever he’d been preoccupied with before those embarrassing events unfolded… the presence of his successor model in the passenger seat beside him, humming tunelessly and drumming his long fingers on the dashboard… or, most likely, all of the above. 

_Tina: What happened at Fri drinks?_

_Gavin: why? He say smthing?_

_Tina: knew it. Spill_

_Gavin: Played me w that leading question. Dammit. But nah no big deal we just kinda overdid it and got messy in front of a crowd_

_Tina: shit. Hank too?_

_Gavin: ya. Think he’s pissed i enabled the old dude when he only just kinda sobered up_

_Tina: oh no.. how bad was it_

_Gavin: he was fine. actually I was the worst and this rich idiots fam saw it_

_Tina: Nines family? Fantastic Mr Fox?? oh man I’m starting to get it now. Gavinnnnn whyyhhh_

_Gavin: what who gives a shit. Hank prob doesn’t. Why should Con_

_Tina: you know it’s not that simple. Nate Fox was Hank’s partner before the accident. That’s some heavy shit._

_Gavin: so?_

_Tina: So it's an ego thing. Fox’s wife had a miscarriage around the same time as Hank lost Cole. Crash n burn fr Hank but Foxman kept climbing higher like nthing happened. People said he was so brave n all that jazz. He tried to help Hank but you can imagine how well that went._

_Gavin: yup. Baaaad. But how do you know all this?_

_Tina: how could I not. Hanks our new Cpt. Did my research_

_Gavin: of course you did detective T_

_Tina: someday someday_

_Gavin: soon. But idgi still. Fri night was embarrassing for sure but it’s still just appearances. And I was the biggest mess not Hank_

_Tina: ok then think. What did you do that cd be more loss of face for Hank?_

_Gavin: ohhhhh_

_Tina: what!!!!_

_Gavin: Nines took me home_

_Tina: 2847$$nheheoekzhwjsnjispw!!!!!!!!!_

_Gavin: not like that idiot. He told Con to go w Hank and he stayed w me until I was ok to get in a car. Then drove me home_

_Tina: bet you WISH it was LIKE THAT. but that’s it. there you go_

_Gavin: what now. Ya really starting to piss me off Chen. Just say things straight_

_Tina: it’s like the cycle continues. Fox boys are so well put together n funny n cute but Hank’s kids are a big drunk mess. Plus y’all needed one of them to help you._

_Gavin: Hank’s kids????_

_Tina: don’t even try to deny it Gav_

Gavin shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket and glared at his friend. This conversation was over. How could he have brought dishonour to a family he wasn’t even part of? Fuming, he turned his attention to the front of the car, where the two androids sat staring into the night, scanning the dark streets with their heat vision. Nines was humming away and leaning towards Connor, clearly hoping to catch his eye and start some ridiculous conversation or the other. Connor sat ramrod straight, fingers gripping the wheel tight enough to leave dents. The drumming continued on the dashboard. A neat little rhythm, played on loop for the third hour in a row, without missing a beat. 

Then, suddenly, a red glow filled the vehicle interior and a loud smack resounded as Connor brought his hand down on Nines’ fingers, trapping them against the dashboard. The force would have shattered a human hand. 

“WOULD YOU STOP THAT?”

Nines stared at him. Eyes wide, LED equally red. 

“Sorry, Detective.” 

Connor took a deep breath that he didn’t need and withdrew his hand, balling it into a fist. He looked out of his side window and pinched the bridge of his nose. But for the flashing LED, he looked uncannily human. 

“I’m sorry. I could’ve said that nicely.”

“No, it’s fine. I prefer that you be direct with me.” 

Gavin snorted and was about to make a comment about how his friendship with Tina had begun similarly, when he noticed that she was watching Connor with deep concern in her eyes. From her seat behind him, she leaned forward and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. She laid a hand over his fist and he uncurled his fingers to interlace them with hers. Connor relaxed visibly at Tina’s touch. When she let go, Gavin could’ve sworn he noticed Connor’s synthetic skin quickly reform over his palm. Before he could analyze that observation in further detail, Gavin’s phone buzzed thrice in quick succession.

_Nines: Has he always been like this? I thought you were the one with the anger issues._

_Connor: How loud was that? For human ears? Is Tina okay? Please tell me I didn’t scare her._

_Tina: This is worse than I thought! Full on family feud!_

Gavin sighed and shifted his grip on the phone such that his right palm was flat against the back surface. He discreetly retracted his own skin and began interfacing with the device. Instant thought-to-text conversion was one of the many perks of having a cybernetic arm. Especially useful for talking to three idiots separately while they were all in the same damn car.

_Gavin: Did they program you to be this annoying or did you download some special modules?_

_Gavin: It was PHCKING loud. And super hypocritical for someone who does those stupid coin tricks all day_

_Gavin: T stop stirring that family shit. Robot prince here was being a total pain in the ass and our plastic detective just snapped._

Three identical messages came back: _Sorry._

The next twenty minutes passed uneventfully. Gavin cursed the protocol that required his and Connor’s presence on this stakeout. It was nothing that Tina, a class III officer, couldn’t manage on her own. Especially while field training an RK900 android. A fucking war machine… that was coincidentally the adopted son of one of the best combatants in DPD history. Still, their sergeant had insisted… and the detectives had been forced to come along. Gavin supposed it was somewhat fair that they also did their share of waiting and staring into darkness. Though the lead was from the high-value electronics smuggling case that Nines had been assigned with Tina, it converged with a Traci trafficking case under the detectives’ purview.

Nines broke the silence tentatively. “Detective Anderson?”

Connor grunted. Gavin couldn’t decide whether that response reminded him more of Hank or himself. 

“What’s that on the east side? Near the first warehouse building?” 

“Shit.” 

Gavin looked up. “Care to share with the blind humans in the back?”

“Seven of them, including three androids. I can’t believe they’re all here at once. Moving at least a hundred disassembled androids. And I don’t mean parts or biocomponents. There’s people… in those boxes. This is it, Gavin. This is the ring.”

Tina pulled the radio off her belt. “I’ll call it in.” 

Connor reached behind him and put a hand on Tina’s knee. She stalled. Gavin frowned at that but didn’t comment. Connor’s LED then cycled through several different colours and came to a stop at a brilliant blue as he looked directly at Nines… and then Gavin, and then Nines again. 

“RK900. Register your name.”

There was a beat of uncomfortable silence and then Gavin whispered, “Nathaniel Fox Junior”.

“My name is Nathaniel.” 

Connor’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Good. Always remember what you are.”

He opened the glove compartment and pulled out a standard-issue service revolver. He fished a fresh clip out from under his seat and loaded the gun. He handed it to a perplexed Nines. 

“Now show me.” 

Ignoring Gavin and Tina’s cries of protest, he wrenched his door open and stepped into the snow. Nines stared at the gun in his hand for a second, and blinked several times in a row. _Reinitialising_. Nines then sprung out of his seat and fell into step beside Connor, who was already several yards away from the car. Gavin and Tina exchanged looks of resignation and exited the vehicle as well. 

“They’ve split across the building. Placing the boxes at different locations in the warehouse. They’ll switch labels or put fresh ones on, and the automated systems will ensure the deliveries are made within the next few days. Criminals piggybacking on existing logistics infrastructure. Typical, but effective MO. I need us to prioritise the suspects tonight. The Tracis will be fine… I mean they’ll probably need months of therapy after this… but there will be no risk to their physical integrity. We can get them later. I need a quick interception of the seven individuals. There’s no one else in the building, so this should be clean.”

Gavin and Tina jogged behind the two androids who had begun walking even faster. 

“I’ll run point, going by the west entrance. There’s… two over there?”

“I can see two on the first floor. A third on the second.”

“Okay. Tina’s with me. Nines, you go with Gavin. Stay behind him and follow his lead until you’re confident you understand your programming. Don’t let it take over you, though. Never do that.”

He came to a stop behind a huge autonomous truck parked outside the warehouse building. Tina pulled a bunch of zip ties out of her pocket and shoved some into each of their hands. 

Looking more animated than he had in days, Connor declared, “If it gets messy, _fucking_ let it. There’s no civilians here to get hurt, and plenty of evidence on each of the suspects. Don’t give a shit about property damage either. The place probably has several lifetimes more insurance than it needs.” With an unmistakable challenge in his voice, he cocked his head and stepped closer to Nines, “And if you can’t figure it out, just stay low and cover his left side. Got it?”

Nines bared his teeth in an approximation of a smile. He nodded once and took off at top speed along the edge of the building. Gavin gave Connor one last look of exasperation and ran after Nines, pulling out his own revolver. It seemed… that Nines was about to show them _exactly_ what he was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which our boys become action movie stars. 
> 
> (•_•)  
> ( •_•)>⌐□-□  
> (⌐□_□)

**NOVEMBER 29, 2039 - 22:48**

_ Cyberlife Warehouse, West Torrance Avenue _

It was the perfect crime, devised by a group of employees with 24/7 access to the building. They had the biocomponent warehouse as a perfect hiding place for disassembled parts of kidnapped androids. They used the automated material handling and trucking system for efficient, secure delivery to their ‘customers’. Neat. The operation would have been unnoticeable to outsiders… but for a state-of-the-art police android keen to cut his probation period short. 

Gavin moved through the corridors as quickly and quietly as he could. He was already thinking of excuses for failing to notice the correlation between the kidnapping dates and the uncharacteristic spikes in vehicular traffic at the warehouse. Hank and Fowler would not be pleased to hear that this lead had completely evaded their attention until Nines had begun his first assignment at the DPD. Several weeks of crime could have been prevented.

This type of pattern recognition was Connor’s specialty. He would parse huge volumes of city data all day. Even in his free time. Over drinks. Before bed. While walking Sumo. He enjoyed it… and when something clicked, even the smallest coincidence… that was game over for the bad guys. But Connor hadn’t parsed anything in the past few months. Nothing other than his own inner turmoil since the raid that had nearly killed the pair of them.

Gavin noticed, but chose to say nothing. He quietly did the heavy lifting at work and led all their investigations. Connor numbly followed his lead, grateful to not be questioned or prodded by his partner beyond the occasional interface. In some vague form of reciprocation, he took the paperwork entirely off Gavin’s hands and became particularly vicious during interrogations. 

It was as if they had switched personalities. The near-death experience thoroughly mellowed Gavin. He had already changed a great deal by the time he’d made the decision to shield Connor with his own body, but the traumatic event itself gave him the final push towards full reform. Life became meaningful for him. Gavin had been so beautifully wrong about so many things in the world, that he found himself looking forward to each new day he could spend challenging his old beliefs. Connor, on the other hand, had turned inwards when confronted with mortality for the first time post-deviancy. He seethed with sorrow and silent anger.

Gavin was at a loss as to what to do. Having barely come to terms with his own sense of self, he was in no position to guide anyone else. He could only hope that a good, clean interception of the traffickers tonight would lift Connor’s mood. 

A gunshot echoed through the vast storage space. Gavin dropped to the ground beside a rack full of replacement chassis. His phone buzzed in his pocket. 

_ Nines: Two humans. Three shelves behind you. Just one handgun. I got this. Go ahead.  _

Gavin sighed and slid the phone up his sleeve, fitting it into the slot provided on his right tricep. Cyberlife’s hands-free solution to link devices with the human mind.

_ Gavin: Go where? _

_ Nines: Detective Anderson said to stay behind you. So I’m staying behind. The real fight will be in Aisle 8.  _

_ Gavin: The three androids? _

_ Nines: Yes. Security models. Good luck.  _

Feeling the derision behind the words, Gavin moved into Aisle 7. He swatted away a stock-taking drone and peered through the gaps between the items. Three figures were hunched over a large crate, pulling smaller boxes out and pasting labels over them. Knowing it would be a completely useless effort, Gavin readjusted the grip on his weapon and stepped into Aisle 8. 

“Detroit Police! Hands where I can see them!” 

The only response was three well-aimed shots in his direction. No surprise there. Gavin immediately ducked and rolled behind the racks. He heard two pairs of footsteps run deeper into the warehouse. Likely that the two who fled were unarmed. The android who had shot at him was still in the aisle. An idea suddenly struck Gavin. 

_ Gavin: Hey _

_ Nines: Hey?? _

_ Gavin: do you have visual on me _

_ Nines: wait let me get into the cameras  _

_ Gavin: ok. Send me what you see. Aisle 7 to 9 _

A short video clip was loaded into the chat. It was obviously not real time, but it would have to do. (Gavin was only human after all.) The android was edging round the corner of Aisle 8 into Aisle 7. Gavin could work with that. He dropped into a crouch near the turning point and brought his adversary to the ground within seconds. From there, his mechanical arm made the disarm and restraint incredibly easy. He used a few of the zip ties Tina had given them and pinned the android’s arms behind his back. 

“Get off me! I want a lawyer! I need a technician! You’re hurting me. Aaaaaah! This shit isn’t legal anymore, asshole! You’re committing a hate crime! Markus will have your badge when he finds out!”

“I’m not about to take lessons on legality from a people trafficker. Shut up and sit still.”

Gavin shoved the GS200 against a storage rack and pulled him into a sitting position. Footsteps came from behind them. 

“Here, Detective. Two more.” 

Nines calmly walked into Aisle 8 with the two humans he’d subdued. In his fitted turtleneck, he looked like a billionaire out for an evening stroll with his pedigree dogs. He gently guided them to sit beside their fellow suspect on the ground. The three wretched creatures immediately began squabbling amongst themselves.

“Great. Thanks Nines. Keep an eye on them for me, please. I need to get the others. Keep your gun out. Yes. Don’t let them talk to you and get in your head. No one needs to pee. No one needs urgent medical attention. NO ONE IS SELF-DESTRUCTING. Nothing. Just wait for us to get them all together and then read them their rights. And yeah, you can call it in now. We should be done by the time the cars get here.”

Nines frowned but nodded his agreement. His LED spun yellow, processing. He looked like he wanted to say something but held his tongue. Gavin picked up the weapon he’d wrested from the suspect’s grip and ran down the hall, looking left and right for the two remaining android accomplices. The building had only a few access points. They couldn’t have gotten far. 

Four shots rang out from above, followed by an almighty crash. 

_ Nines: The two androids from our floor went up to join the two humans above. Officer Chen is locked in combat with one human. The other three just brought a whole rack down on Detective Anderson.  _

_ Gavin: You don’t miss a trick do you? _

_ Nines: Nope :-X _

A visual popped up. Nines had hacked the upper floor cameras too. Gavin ran up the stairs, using the image to locate Tina. He crept up behind her, causing her to jump in alarm. 

“What the hell, Gavin! Give a girl some warning!” 

Gavin kissed her cheek, pointed his gun over her shoulder and fired. Thanks to Nines, he knew where exactly to shoot. There was an agonising yell in response. 

“Cheers.” 

She moved to restrain the injured man and stabilise his wound. There was another crash several aisles down. A stock of fresh thirium splashed sickeningly across the wall. 

_ Connor: About time you got up here. You’re missing all the fun. Where’s Nines?  _

_ Gavin: Hanging onto the three fish we caught downstairs.  _

_ Connor: Boo. Get T to relieve him. It’s his lead after all. He deserves to enjoy some of the action.  _

Gavin passed the message along to Tina as she moved to head downstairs with the man, who was kicking and cursing in pain. He waved her off and went to locate Connor.

The remaining three members of the trafficking ring seemed to be pursuing one simple strategy: moving to the rear exit and preventing Connor from following by blockading his path. Aaaand chucking a bunch of heavy shit at him. It was happily replicated with Gavin once he arrived on the scene. Every time he and Connor got a clean shot, they had to dodge an enormous crate that would come flying at them. 

_ *Group chat* _

_ Nines: Holy shit. They’re good! _

_ Gavin: Whose side are you on? _

_ Connor: Nines, can you preconstruct properly? I can’t do three of such variables at once without significant lag.  _

_ Nines: I can, but why bother trying to shoot. Follow meeee _

There was a whistle from immediately above Gavin. Nines had scaled one of the floor-to-ceiling racks. Legs wrapped around one of the posts, he waved jauntily from his vantage point like a pirate in the crow’s nest. The sight sent a rippling sensation through Gavin’s body. Winking, Nines swung onto the top of the structure and ran towards the exit. Connor followed suit. Just months ago he’d have laughed at the mere suggestion… but by dint of his mechanical arm, so did Gavin.

From above, they had an unimpeded view of their quarries. Gavin caught up to the two police androids standing on the edge of the last storage rack before the exit. He was surprised to find that he wasn’t out of breath at all. The Cyberlife arm was even more of an asset than he’d imagined. Nines caught his eye and smiled wide.

“ETA fifteen seconds for all three. Jump on sight.” 

Gavin blanched. They were easily four storeys off the ground. He glanced at the two Terminators flanking him. He was not the same. What the hell had he been thinking to follow them?

“Five.”

_ Connor: Arm first, idiot. _

“Four.

Three. 

Two. 

One.” 

They flung themselves off the ledge and landed identically, stopping their falls with their right fists. Each took one suspect down. The chase concluded. A long night wrapped up fruitfully.

It wasn’t until later in the parking lot, as the seven traffickers were being bundled into police cars, that Gavin noticed Nines’ eyes on him. He turned to face him. The RK900 steel blue gaze raked up and down Gavin’s body. Over the scars on his face. His chest. His feet. His shoulders…  _ his right arm  _ and back to his eyes. 

“I really enjoyed working with you tonight, Detective Reed.”

It seemed… that Nines may have learnt a lot more than Gavin had bargained for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else is （//・_・//) just thinking of these three robot/cyborg dudes jumping down several floors like a trio of Gods descending from the heavens to serve sweet justice?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which the ships saillllllllll
> 
> Note: There are some short references to android anatomy and dismemberment in this chapter. There is absolutely no sensitive content at all, but if these are potentially upsetting topics, please read with caution.

**NOVEMBER 30, 2039 - 02:23**

_Detroit Police Department Central Station_

“Yeah. Catalogued. All here. Techs will come in tomorrow to take the parts to an assembly site. What do you mean? We can’t declare it as a seizure and delegate the processing work? I’m telling you the parts are all here. There’s no way they’d break a shipment up. Nines’... Nathaniel’s field training officer signed off on that fact. _I’m_ signing off on it now… Yes, he’s not my direct report, but I am supervising his probation.”

Connor paced up and down the length of the bullpen. His LED spun furiously as he spoke to their new Lieutenant over the phone. He came to an abrupt stop in front of Tina, face frozen in exasperation. She held her arms open. He stepped in without hesitation. His LED remained yellow but stopped spinning as the call ended. 

“We need to ID the parts and notify all next of kin tonight”, he mumbled into her shoulder. She shut her eyes and ran her hands over his back, pulling him closer. 

Gavin didn’t understand what he was seeing. Perhaps the lateness of the hour was making him imagine things. When had this friendship deepened so much? 

“Um… Detective Reed. My mom’s asking when I’ll be back home. My shift ended a while ago.”

Nines stood at Gavin’s shoulder. So Terminator 900 was a mama’s boy, huh. Gavin answered without taking his eyes off the embrace in front of him. 

“Tell her you’ll see her when you see her. You’re a cop now. Cops do what they have to do even if it’s past their bedtime. You need to charge? Station’s right there. Reboot? Do it at your desk.” 

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You haven’t slept in over twenty hours. You must be tired.” 

Gavin barked a short laugh at that. He didn’t want to even dignify that with a response. 

_Connor: You must be though. I’m sorry I couldn’t work it out with the boss._

_Gavin: Shut up. Go home and get T out of here too. She’s probably dead on her feet. Nines and I will sort this out. We’ll get the other probies and standby folks at the station tonight to help._

_Connor: I’m dreading what I’ll owe you._

_Gavin: An explanation. At some point. But I’ll let you go for now. Take care, Tincan._

Connor released Tina and walked her out of the bullpen, an arm around her shoulder. She looked at him quizzically but moved with him in silence. As they rounded the corner, Gavin caught a glimpse of Connor’s arm slipping down to her waist. Okaaaaaay. 

Gavin turned to face Nines. “Get the standby officers. The more the merrier. Find me at the evidence lockers.” 

“What? Where are they going? You just said that cops gotta do what they gotta do no matter what!” 

“Cops also know how to have each other’s back when it counts. I know I might not look like the kind of guy that believes in that brotherhood shit, but I do. Evidence room. Standby officers. Ten minutes. PLEASE.”

Gavin turned on his heel and stormed into the break room to fetch a cup of the hot gutter water that passed for coffee at the DPD Central Station. Sufficiently caffeinated ten minutes later, he walked into their largest evidence room to find Nines and seven other probationary officers sitting amongst the hundreds of boxes retrieved from the traffickers’ hiding spots in the warehouse. Nines’ friends looked up at Gavin eagerly. Finally something interesting for them to do that night. He had a flashback to fifteen years ago… when he’d been young and fresh out of the Police Academy. 

“Cheers, Nines… and everyone. So. How we doing this? Any thoughts? We got… no idea how many boxes make up one android. No idea if any of these poor souls were reported missing at all. No. Phcking. Idea… SO. Any thoughts?” 

Gavin wanted the officers to think for themselves. Learn. He didn’t want to throw out instructions. It would be easier and take less time… but he didn’t want to be blindly obeyed. There was a great deal of murmuring in response. A consensus was soon reached and an officer spoke up. Gavin squinted at the name on her uniform. _E. Torres._

“Most of the boxes have labels on them. We could start with the addresses. See if there’s any pattern there. Number of items per address and such.” 

“Good, Officer Torres. Let’s do that. Sort by address first.”

The officers milled about, organising themselves and splitting the work. One of the androids in the group volunteered to scan the police databases for the addresses. Boxes started moving into a more comprehensible order within minutes. Gavin sat down and watched. Nines sat down next to him and patted his knee.

“You’re a good mentor, Detective.” 

“And you’re slacking off. Get on with it.” 

“Maybe I’ve a question for you.” 

“If it’s not to do with these damn boxes, I don’t want to hear it.” 

“Where did you learn to text so fast?” 

“What?” 

“In the car. At the warehouse. All night. I noticed that you communicated… really efficiently. You messaged me at times you had a gun in your hand… there was practically no delay in your responses… how does that work, Detective?” 

“Get moving. Don’t leave your friends to do all the scut work.”

Nines gave him an even smile, squeezed Gavin’s knee and stood up to join his peers. Soon the sortation was complete. Ninety-seven unique addresses, with about three boxes each. There remained a significantly smaller pile of unlabeled cartons. 

“Great. What’s next?” 

Officer Torres spoke again. “Why don't we look at all the items bound for one address first? Let’s see what’s in each of the boxes and if it all adds up to one android… or less than that… or more.” 

Gavin wrinkled his nose. That didn’t seem pleasant. “Can’t some of you androids scan them to see what’s inside? We’re not forensics… we shouldn’t be opening these up. But then again, these folks aren’t technically dead…”

Nines responded. “We can’t scan. Everything has been wrapped in scan-deflection packing material. I can only see some blurry outlines. We have to open the boxes.”

Though it was impossible, he looked pale at the prospect of doing so.

“Okay. Just… just be… respectful. Treat what you find exactly how you’d want to be treated if you ever encounter such bad luck. Maybe get some sheets first… if anything… _anyone_ needs to be covered up.”

Gavin indicated for them to proceed with a pile nearest to him. Torres bravely pulled one box towards herself and slit the tape open with a knife. Everyone in the room tensed as she unwrapped the packaging. Nines actually stepped behind Gavin.

“Okay thanks, Torres. Chassis. Arms. Shit, why is some of the skin still activated? Is that an engagement ring? God… her partner must be _losing_ it. Okay there’s connectors… aaaand some stuff I don’t know the name for. You… Officer James? Android, correct? Yeah? Had to double check ’cause you don’t have your LED. Sorry. Scan the registration number and check the database, would you, James?”

As Torres moved onto the second box, Gavin reached for the third and final box destined for the same address. He subtly flicked his wrist to extend his right ‘thumbnail’ into a sharp blade. He slit open the tape to find the lower half of the Traci’s body, and immediately shut the box. Torres had found the head and the lengths of inner cabling resembling a human spinal cord. 

There was an abrupt sound behind him and Gavin turned to catch a flash of Nines bolting out of the room, a hand clasped over his mouth.

James looked up gravely. “We can account for all mechanical parts, biocomponents and electrical connectors of a WR400 Traci model registered as Melissa Jane. Some trauma to her processing unit. Likely no lasting memory damage. She was reported missing by her human fiancé Michael Fossey. Last seen by her colleagues at Stratford Tower two weeks ago.”

“Notify the fiancé that we’ve found her. Techs will work on her at an assembly site. Give him the location. Tell him to bring her clothing and any personal effects deemed important.”

“He can take her home then?” 

Gavin shrugged. “Technicians’ call.” He addressed the room at large. “Seems like there’s one android per address. So… rinse and repeat, folks. Till the break of dawn.” He looked at the wan faces gazing at him, missing one that he’d grown fond of against his better judgement. “Actually, does anyone need to tap out? If this is… um… too much?” They looked discomfited, but shook their heads. “Okay. Keep at it, then. I’ll be back in a bit.” 

Gavin jogged to the bullpen in search of Nines. Without looking up from his desk, one of his fellow detectives pointed towards the back exit. 

“He ran out back. Baby’s first body, eh?”

“Uh… first crudely dismantled robot. But close enough. Cheers, David.” 

Nines was bracing himself against the wall of the station, hunched over and making horrible retching sounds. Gavin didn’t think androids could throw up. Probably just a simulated response to the stress. He approached slowly from the side. 

“Hey Nines. You okay?” 

Nines shuddered and fell back against the wall, LED blaring red. His chest heaved. Cyberlife’s engineers would be proud of how realistic it all was. So similar to Gavin’s own first experience. 

“Hey. _Hey._ Look at me. It’s okay. Been there myself. We all go through it. Rite of passage. It’s… messed up. Seeing shit like that. But it’s what we signed up for when we took the badge. See some of it, so you can prevent the rest of it. You know?”

Nines shut his eyes tight. “The hand with the ring… oh my God. I can’t… I can’t… she was going to be married. They put her in a shipping box like a fucking toaster. For someone to _USE._ ”

“Hey. Stop. Don’t go down the path of what-ifs. She’s going to be fine. You saved her. You did your job and you found the traffickers. We picked her up. She’ll be back in one piece in the morning and walking down the aisle in no time. You saved her, Nines. And about a hundred others too.”

Nines opened his eyes and looked deep into Gavin’s. His LED spun yellow.

“Yeah, but it’s still so fucked up. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take something like that as calmly as you do.” 

“Fifteen years on the job will do that to you. But even then it’s no cakewalk. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something else will come along and shake you to the bone.” 

Nines buried his face in his hands and slid down the wall. Gavin joined him on the ground, pulling a box of cigarettes out of his jacket. He lit one, took a drag and held it out to Nines. A reversal of roles from the night at the cop bar. Nines reached over with both hands… his right plucked the cigarette from between Gavin’s fingers… while his left fell into place against Gavin’s palm. 

“You’re an unusual man, Detective Reed. I remember what you said the day we first met. When you thought you were talking to Detective Anderson. About how sorry you were and how much you’ve changed… I looked you up. Asked around. You HATED androids. Him in particular. And now you’re pals. _Brothers,_ you said tonight.”

He secured his grip on Gavin’s right hand, running a thumb over the knuckles. 

“You’re now mentoring android officers. Saving android lives. Risking your own for them. You’re talking to me now... comforting me… like we’re somehow the same.”

The grip tightened even more. It should have hurt… but Gavin only registered the force input. 

“I’m wondering, Detective, if we _are_ the same. To some extent.” 

At a devastating level of force, an in-built defense mechanism in the cybernetic arm kicked in. Nines dropped Gavin’s hand as a strong electrical impulse rippled through it. He smiled widely, clearly having gotten where he wanted to.

“I was right.” 

“Great, you’ll make detective in no time and Connor and I will be thrown out on our asses. Happy now? Ready to ruin my life? Or is there something you want instead?” 

“What? No! That’s not what I- You think I would blackmail you?” 

“If not, then what the hell was that for?” 

“Honestly? To get to know you better.”

Gavin stared at him. 

“Actually, wait. I think I’ll take you up on that blackmail idea. There is something I want.” 

“What?”

“You. Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow.”

Words deserted Gavin, but that didn’t perturb Nines. He reclaimed Gavin’s hand and continued smoking the cigarette. It seemed… that Nathaniel Fox Jr was used to getting exactly what he wanted. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where there's the first hint of draaaamaaaaa

**NOVEMBER 30, 2039 - 10:35**

_ 115 Michigan Drive, Detroit  _

_ “You’re an unusual man, Detective Reed.” A hand slipped into his. “There is something I want…” A blue glow appeared at the corner of his vision. “Something… I want.” The hand ran up his forearm, curling around his bicep. “I want… to get to know you better.” The hand travelled further up, skimmed along his collarbone and rested on his throat. “I want… you.” The hand tightened. “I want you.” His airflow cut off. “You. You.You…” _

There was a shriek and the slam of a door. A large dog began barking in the immediate vicinity. Gavin woke up in a daze. He sat up abruptly on the couch, adjusting the front of his boxers in a futile attempt to hide the tenting there. As if to help matters, Sumo put his giant head in Gavin’s lap. The remaining exhaustion from the previous night immediately dissipated at the sensation of thick fur and warm breath.

“What are you doing here?”

Gavin looked up to see Connor standing shirtless and disheveled in front of him. 

“You and Hank said I could crash here if we worked late nights. Things wrapped up at nearly 4AM this morning... Didn’t wanna make the trip all the way back to my place if I could help it… so I let myself in.” 

Gavin waggled the fingers on his right hand to indicate input of the digital code to unlock the door. Connor nodded and turned in the direction of his bedroom. He looked completely off, and a little guilty. Gavin sighed. 

“What’s going on with you, Con? And what the hell was that sound just now?”

“Huh?”

“Someone yelled. Think it was a woman’s voice.”

“Oh yeah? Uh… must be the neighbours. They… they’ve been acting weird lately.”

Gavin knew bullshit when he smelled it, but he let it go. He shifted to make room on the couch and patted it. Connor sank down next to him. Sumo moved his head to Connor’s lap.  _ Traitor _ .

“Thanks, Gavin. For last night. Actually, for covering my ass for going on four months now. Since the raid. Since your arm. I’m sorry.”

“Connor. We don’t have to do this now. Just… promise me you’ll tell me if things get… out of hand.”

“I will, Gavin. I promise. I’m… actually doing better now. There’s periods of calm. There didn’t used to be. My processors were fried in the weeks immediately after. I overheated multiple times a day. Put Dad through hell. Talked shit. Went out at weird times. Brought home weird girls. It was a mess. But not anymore. Not since I… found someone… to talk to. Not that I can’t talk to you, but I mean… I’ve been messed up because I nearly died _with_ _you_. And you nearly died _for_ _me_. So yeah, I needed someone… out of the picture.”

Gavin nodded. “Like a therapist?”

“Not exactly.”

Gavin thought he knew who, then. He didn’t press further. “Whatever works, man… I’ll get out of your hair now. Head home. Grab a shower. Check in at the assembly site. Fingers crossed we can send everyone home today.” 

Connor nodded gratefully. “Just send me whatever you can remember. I’ll write something up for Dad and Fowler. Pictures would be helpful if you have them. Or actually, just-” 

He reached for Gavin’s right forearm with the synthetic skin on his hand retracted, and then faltered. The skin reformed… as he seemed to think better of interfacing. Gavin wondered if Connor was afraid of something slipping past his control and into Gavin’s mind. Something private. Something…  _ someone _ at the very forefront of his thoughts and feelings. 

A mutual fear, then. Gavin had no interest in telling Connor about the events that took place against the station wall… or in sharing the vivid details of his recent dream… or the identity of his date that night. Not at all. 

“Eh… yeah, no, Con. I don’t have any pictures on me. It was pretty grim. There’s probably something about victims’ privacy, too. So, let’s not revisit that shit. Just ask the probies that helped out last night. There was this Torres girl. And there was this android. James. Probably easier for you to get stuff from him. Yeah, just ask them. They’ll get you everything.” 

“Thanks, Gavin. Again. As always. Just tack this onto that life debt I owe you.” 

“Shut the phck up. How dare you. You and your old man created a literal debt when you decided to squander-”

Connor clamped his hand over Gavin’s mouth, looking around frantically. 

“Hmpff… Okay, okay! Fine. Let’s just call it even. Too early in the morning for that kinda shit anyway. God. You’re the weirdest dude I’ve ever met.”

Gavin scratched Sumo behind the ears, stood up and started pulling his jeans on. Connor watched him, snorting when Gavin struggled to contain the bulge at the front. He grimaced and adjusted himself. 

“Shut up. Not everyone has a nice and polite robodick that listens to them.”

“Speaking of nice and polite robodicks, how was Nines last night?” 

Gavin froze, hands halfway through his jacket sleeves. “Uh.. he was fine. Actually, no. He wasn’t. Couldn’t deal. Ran out the room. I found him dry heaving against the back wall of the station. All wrung out over this poor girl we found. Her engagement ring set him off, I think. Tough guy with a soft heart. Who’d have thought?”

Connor raised an eyebrow at that. “Well, people  _ have _ told me that he and Noel are very different from their father.” Right.  _ People _ . There was only one gossip queen that the two of them knew.

“And what was their father like?”

“He... had a brilliant career, but it came at a cost. To people around him. Feelings were just things that got in his way. He had the highest homicide solve rate every year he served. He saw the most fucked up things back-to-back and just kept coming back for more. Nothing fazed Nate Fox. Fantastic Mr Fox. Not the most mangled body, not the most hardened criminal, and absolutely nothing personal. If others couldn’t handle things as well as he did, they became liabilities that needed to be shed.”

Gavin could’ve sworn he heard the gravelly undertones of Hank’s voice. Connor went on.

“Relationships were just tools of the trade. You saw him that night we made a scene outside Abick’s Bar. He left the DPD before half of today’s active force joined, but he’s still out there every weekend, milking those old stories dry, relentlessly extending those old networks. That’s just how he is. More machine than even I was pre-deviancy. Nothing gets between him and his next win. Whether that’s a solve or a deal. A total  _ prick _ , in your words.”

Connor sighed and stood up. He straightened the collar of Gavin’s jacket and patted him on the chest. “But what does any of that matter to us? We have nothing to do with that family. They can stay in their lane and we’ll stay in ours.”

Gavin swallowed, and nodded. It seemed… that things had gotten complicated before they had even begun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, what the heck is up with Connor? What state-of-the-art android says "huh?" when asked a question?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin and Nines get to the point of no return. It's date night, y'all. <3<3

**NOVEMBER 30, 2039 - 19:22**

_Giuliana Trattoria, Bricktown Historic District_

“Who’s Giuliana?” 

“Dad’s sister. She passed just before I was found and activated last year. Throat cancer. Smoked like a chimney, bless her soul. Never met her, but apparently she was a really special woman. Loved her food. And men. That’s her husband, Gianni, over there.”

Nines waved at the chef through the wall of glass separating the kitchen from the dining area. 

“That’s nice… Not your aunt’s death, of course. I mean the whole concept of the restaurant. I like family businesses.”

“Then I think you’ll like my Dad. He keeps everything real close and friendly. It’s the Italian in him, I guess. From his mother’s side… and also his wife’s. It’s always been about putting people first, you know? La famiglia e tutto.”

Connor’s contradictory words echoed in Gavin’s head. He pushed away the memory of the odd conversation in the Andersons’ living room that morning. He lifted his glass, took a sip of the rich Chianti and sighed in satisfaction. Nines smiled like a cat that got the cream. 

“So this definitely goes on the wine list for opening night?” 

“Definitely.”

Nines’ LED flickered yellow briefly and an immaculately dressed AP700 appeared at the table. 

“Meet our sommelier, Elio. Elio, questo è il mio collega della polizia. Detective Gavin Reed. He was just telling me how partial he is to this 2034 Classico.” 

“Allora siamo tutti d’accordo! Ottimo, Detective Reed. Castellani is one of the _friendlier_ wineries in Campomaggio. I think you know how we prefer it here at Giuliana’s. Moderate altitude and their Sangiovese vines are nice and mature… but not too old. Gives you a polished but easygoing palate of dried cherry, crushed raspberry, anise, clove, grilled herb and a toasted oak. Perhaps you could also detect a smooth tannin at the finish?” 

Nines smothered a laugh at Gavin’s blank expression. He lightly touched Elio’s elbow. 

“Il trucco è restare sul semplice… keep it simple, eh, Elio?”

“Allow me to paraphrase. The Chianti is from a well-known Tuscan winery called Castellani. They’re more accessible than others, and their terrain makes for a simple but classic palate. I was just wondering if you noticed the dryness at the back, Detective?” 

“Yes, Elio… I did. Dry, but much much smoother than the average red we get at neighbourhood pasta joints around here. You want to tell me what this pairs with?” 

Elio clapped his hands together in delight and launched into a detailed list of suggestions from meaty red sauce pastas to strong-flavoured poultry dishes. He was joined by a twin AP700 called Domenico, who took Gavin’s order of beef ragu with tagliatelle. Nines’ eyes grew bright as Gavin indulged the two android staff. Letting them guide his decisions and fuss over him.

Gavin leaned back in his seat with a warm feeling settling over him. A year ago he’d have never imagined himself in this position. Dressed smartly for an evening out with someone who clearly liked him and looked up to him. Someone witty, kind and full of life. Someone who actually wanted to get close to him. Someone who just so happened to be an achingly beautiful android from a rich Italian-American family. How did he get so lucky?

“What are you thinking?”

“Just that... a year ago, tonight would’ve been impossible for me.”

“Going out with an android?”

“No… well yes… that would’ve been impossible for a lot of people. Humans. Not just me. But I meant more like, going out at all. With anyone. Let alone someone like you.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Detective.”

“Call me Gavin if we’re really gonna do this. And no… really, I was an aggressive piece of shit. No one wanted to get close.”

Nines took Gavin’s hand. How had he become so comfortable with that gesture already?

“You must have had your reasons for being that way. I know Captain Anderson had his. Dad told us the story.”

“I don’t know. My personal tragedies come nowhere close to Hank’s.” 

“Well, it doesn’t matter to me. I wasn’t around to see any of that bullshit. You’ve changed. Or... you were always a good man, and now the whole world gets to see it.” 

Gavin felt a lump in his throat rise at that simple but profound statement. He was saved from having to respond when his dinner materialised in front of him. It smelled heavenly. He looked up to thank Domenico, and found Nines’ mother beaming down at him instead. 

“Mrs Fox! Thank you… so good to see you again. Sorry I wasn’t in much shape to say hello the first time we met.” 

“Oh that’s nothing, honey. You should see how Nate and Noel get during football weekends. Nines would probably be the same if he could drink.”

She ruffled her android son’s hair affectionately. 

“The boys have told me so much about you. It’s barely been a month but they’re so glad to be working with you. This one especially. Goes on and on. Sounds like I did when I first met Nate. _Innamorato._ ” 

Nines flushed blue. “ _Mamma_!”

“Va bene, vi lascio soli. I’ll leave you two alone. Enjoy, Gavin. Let us know what you think of the food!” 

The rest of the evening passed in a warm haze. Conversation flowed easily, and Gavin forgot about every foolish thing that had held him back from happiness thus far. Nines insisted on driving him home and walking him up the stairs to his front door. Perfect execution of his voluntarily downloaded social protocol.

“Thank you. Or should I say… _Grazie._ ”

“Per cosa?”

“Per… the best night I’ve had in years. Even if it might’ve begun as blackmail.”

“Sei serio? I was kidding about that. Though I am curious about why… _this_ could be blackmail material.”

Nines held up their intertwined hands. 

Gavin looked into steel blue eyes and took a deep breath. For the first time with someone other than Connor, he retracted the skin on his hand. Nines looked at the white plastic in wonder. He reciprocated, and then both were lost to the magical sensation of a full mental coupling. Every hope, dream, fear, nightmare, shame and desire was exchanged within seconds. No questions or doubts remained. Nines tilted Gavin’s chin upwards with his free hand, and kissed him deeply. 

It didn’t take long for lips to part and hands to roam. Panting slightly, Gavin broke away and rested his forehead against Nines’ jaw, basking in the glow of the blue LED. He pressed his lips to the strong, muscled neck and earned a shudder from the android in response. 

“ _Dio mio…_ Questo mi ucciderà."

“I’d ask you to come in… but I think I want to do this right. Slow down a little. Was this… am I… your first?” 

“First and last.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

Gavin’s heart stuttered at the phrasing. He looked up and found no trace of humour in the perfectly sculpted face. It seemed… that this was going to be it for them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a native Italian speaker by any means, so you'll have to forgive me or correct me where appropriate!
> 
> La famiglia e tutto. = Family is everything  
> Elio, questo è il mio collega della polizia. = Elio, this is my colleague from the police.  
> Allora siamo tutti d’accordo! Ottimo, Detective Reed. = So we all agree! Great, Detective Reed.  
> Il trucco è restare sul semplice. = The thing/trick is to keep it simple.  
> Innamorato = in love / smitten / in noun form it could mean something like 'loverboy'  
> Va bene, vi lascio soli. = Okay, I'll leave you alone  
> Per cosa? = For what?  
> Sei Serio? = Are you serious?  
> Dio mio… Questo mi ucciderà. = My God... this will kill me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where I pour y'all a nice G&T. It's Happy Hour. Tina Time... with a slice of bedroom Nines.

**DECEMBER 5, 2039 - 17:33**

_ West Riverwalk, Detroit _

“So how’d you manage to wrap up the Traci trafficking case without Hank noticing that… um...”

“Neither of us actually did shit?” 

“You said it, Reed, not me.”

Gavin flipped his best friend off and came to a stop underneath a spreading tree. It was true, though. He and Connor had looked extensively into the kidnapping element of the case, but had failed to properly map out what had happened to the victims afterwards. It was a stroke of luck that it had all clicked in his mind when Nines asked for his clearance to stake the warehouse out on suspicion of it being a bioelectronic goods smuggling node.

“I don’t know, T. We would’ve gotten there eventually… but yeah, dropped the ball on this one. Thank goodness for Nines. And you. Tina, of course.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, no. No need to thank me. I was just doing what I usually do. Existing. Signing off on stuff. Field training officer, my ass. That war machine they built doesn’t need me. He’s too polite to say it but it’s true. Give it a while and we’ll all be reporting to him.”

“T… we talked about this. Hank’s here now. Let him get a few months into his captaincy and then approach him about the promotion. You won’t get what you deserve if you don’t ask for it.” 

Tina shook her head, eyes fixed on something across the river. “It’s not about when the promotion comes round. I trust Hank. You’re not going to like me saying this…” 

Gavin turned to face her directly.

“It’s not him, per se. Nines. He’s actually really likeable and fun to be around… I’m just worried… about how he makes the rest of us look.”

There was a lot left unsaid in that statement. Gavin stiffened. He felt an uncharacteristic surge of resentment towards the woman standing before him. He rounded on her.

“That sounded like some horseshit I’d have said a year ago. How we come across in this job is entirely within our control. It has nothing to do with how good or bad others are. No two crimes are the same… so where’s the basis for comparison? If Nines is good at what he does… then that’s good for the entire department. Gives the rest of us something to work towards. 

Why did we spend so much public money on developing androids if they weren’t going to be better than us? Why did we allow an entire revolution if we wanted androids to remain subservient to us? Why did I listen to you? Bite the bullet and change every damn thing about myself if it was only to hear the same damn fears and insecurities coming from you?”

Tina looked equally livid. “Fuck you, Reed. Only you could be so selfish and limited in your thinking. I don’t have a damn thing against androids. I’m not jealous of their abilities. How dare you even say that!? I’m not worried about the kind of shit you were worried about before the revolution. I’m not worried about my job. I  _ am _ scared… but not for myself!”

She looked like she was on the verge of tears. The penny dropped. She was scared for… 

“Connor.”

“Yeah… I just… don’t know what to do with him. He’s so lost, and angry. All I can do is calm him down. I know you’re picking up all the brainwork and it’s getting too much now. Today you dropped a ball and luckily, you caught it… but what happens tomorrow? What happens when people realise he’s not doing his job the way he’s supposed to. When there’s a direct comparison sitting in the same unit. Another RK model.”

“People aren’t going to-”

“People are. If not on the basis of being RK prototypes… then, because Nines is Nate’s son… and Connor is Hank’s son. Please don’t bite my head off… but history is repeating itself.” 

Gavin couldn’t argue with that. He stepped forward and pulled Tina into his arms. He was definitely also worried for his partner’s mental state, and what that could mean for the both of them professionally. He got it. But there were also several layers of complications beyond what Tina had voiced. The raid. Critical damage to Connor’s processing unit. Gavin’s sacrifice. The state-of-the-art cybernetic arm… paid for entirely by the Andersons. The feeling of indebtedness despite the fact that they had practically become family. The intense passion he now felt for the successor model to his partner. Followed by strange guilt for diving headfirst into a relationship with the very person his near and dear were intimidated by.

Gavin decided to change the subject.

“So… you and plastic detective, huh?”

Tina broke away from him with a playful shove to his chest. She had a genuine smile on her face. 

“We’re still figuring things out… and we were going to tell you soon, I swear! But yeah. Yes. Me and Connor.”

“I’m happy for you two. I didn’t see it coming at all, but it makes a lot of sense. You have so much in common, now that I think about it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re both so crazy about me it was only a matter of time you formed a fan club.” 

Tina laughed easily at that. She tucked an arm under Gavin’s and pulled him along, continuing their walk along the river. The Christmas lights draped over the trees flickered on. 

“We do love you, though. Very much. You’re very important to the two of us. Don’t know what we’d do without you in our lives.” 

“Aw, T… don’t get all sentimental on me. You know I’m phckin’ allergic to that shit.” 

“I don’t believe that.”

“What?”

“That you’re  _ that _ averse to someone telling you they love you. No one is. And I know for a fact you aren’t.”

Gavin swallowed. The exact words hadn’t been said to him yet but the feeling had definitely poured through an interface that very morning. 

He had woken up to Nines lying across his chest, LED shining blue in stasis. They hadn’t been able to keep to the promise of taking things slow. Gavin’s right hand was firmly trapped under Nines’ left. When he turned slightly and pressed a kiss to the face nuzzled against his neck, the skin on their joined hands retracted. A series of visuals flooded in. Preconstructions of a lifetime spent together. Moving into a new home. Nines’ hands smoothing over the imperceptible creases on Gavin’s police uniform before he walked on stage to receive an award. Nines down on one knee in a Tuscan vineyard. A pair of matching designer suits. Noel passing Nines their family ring in a cathedral as old as civilization itself. Nines’ mother smiling down at a cherubic infant in her arms. It was thoroughly overwhelming. Tears stung Gavin’s eyes as lips landed on his. Nines kissed him languidly, with plenty of tongue.

“Sorry. That was a lot. Didn’t mean for you to ssss… seee” he mumbled into Gavin’s mouth. 

“Don’t be sorry. I… feel the same.”

Nines propped himself up on an elbow. He ran a hand over Gavin’s face, touching each scar reverently.

“That’s a relief. I really went and played all my cards there, didn’t I? Che figura di merda! Sono un'idiota del cazzo. Got laid once in my sorry robot life and lost my damn mind.”

“Well, if one night with me did this to you, I wonder what’ll happen after round two.”

The hand on Gavin’s face slipped down and closed over his throat as Nines sat up and straddled him. Gavin gasped at the sensation. Nines reached down and took both of their hardening cocks in his free hand. “Let’s find out.”

“Gavin? Hey Gavin… GAVIN!”

He wrenched himself back to the present moment. He seemed to have unconsciously stopped in his tracks. The evening light had grown dimmer and it had started snowing. Tina was looking up at him with concern.

“I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to offend… I just assumed… but if you’re not ready for a relationship, that’s totally fair. I’m sorry. It’s just that now that things are better… you’re happier. You’re not afraid of things… of people… and I just know that you have so much love to give-”

“T, T, it’s fine. You didn’t offend me. Just had a brain fade.” 

She kept looking at him. Analysing. It was amusingly similar to Connor’s expression during a scan. Gavin averted his eyes.

“Gavin. There’s someone… isn’t there?”

He didn’t respond. How could he? After what she’d just confided in him about. 

Tina’s eyes grew wide. She squealed in joy and jumped up and down, drawing glances from passers by. 

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, Gavinnnnn!! This is so exciting! Tell me everything! Where? When? How? And fuck… WHO!!!??” 

He looked at her at a total loss, and then decided to go with the tried and tested police methodology of half-truths. Lying by omission, so that it couldn’t really count as lying. Sharing enough adjacent thoughts and feelings to give the impression of having confided in the other person, without actually answering the question.

“It’s… very new. I just realised this week.”

Tina beamed at him, hanging on to every word. 

“It surprised me, too. I’m still wrapping my head around it. I’ve changed a lot over the past year… especially in my attitude towards androids. You know that. But it was a still a surprise to find-”

“You’re in love with an android!” 

“Calm down, Tina. But yeah, he’s an android. It’s a lot for me to figure out. I mean… they  _ are _ just like us, but they’re also so different. Like, they have no childhood. No formative years. They’re just born. Awakened. Activated _.  _ Whatever that means. But every frame of reference for them is on a human timescale. It must be so confusing for them, too! And then they don’t really age… or die. Of natural causes. How does a marriage even work? How are we supposed to grow old together? What happens when I look like his father? Or our  _ child _ does? I mean, you’re with Connor. The thought must have crossed your mind.” 

She took a breath and nodded. Serious, now. “Yes. Of course it has. There’s a lot to give up. Like… I can’t have his baby. He has to watch me die someday. It’s a lot… but we can figure it out. We have to. And we will. That’s what love is. It’ll never be perfect, even with another human.

But Gavin… you’re thinking so far ahead. Too far. It’s been barely a week, you said. Just enjoy the here and now. Get to know him. Fall for him properly first. Cross other bridges when you get to them. 

Now tell me. Who?”

Dammit. The woman was persistent. Gavin thought fast, trying to recall any relevant aphorisms and airheaded sayings from their years of friendship. 

“I don’t wanna jinx it.” 

It worked. She nodded sagely and patted him on the shoulder. “Okay. Go seal the deal first.” 

They continued down the riverwalk. Tina curled herself around his right arm for warmth, utterly oblivious to the supremely advanced technology underneath. For the first time since its installation, it felt heavy. And so did Gavin’s heart. It seemed… that he would have to tread very carefully from there on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Che figura di merda! Sono un'idiota del cazzo. = How bloody embarrassing! I'm a fucking idiot.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Connor finally snaps aaaaand it all comes crashing down around Gavin's ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I am strongly against police brutality or any form of mistreatment of individuals under police custody. What we see Connor do in this chapter is... purely for entertainment purposes. I've watched too many movies, maybe. Also... don't tell me the guy doesn't deserve it;)  
> There's also a bit of crude language in this one. So if these things bother you, please read with caution.

**DECEMBER 9, 2039 - 15:20**

_Detroit Police Department Central Station_

“There’s no such thing as a settlement in your case. Your wife is fucking dead. Who the hell are you trying to settle with? The DPD? The City of Detroit? None of this is helping you. Just tell us what you did.”

“Indeterminate question, Detective Anderson. My client does not-”

“You shut the fuck up. You lawyers will do anything for anyone as long as you’re paid. Even a goddamn murderer.” 

“Detective Anderson, if you have no further questions, my client would-”

Connor slammed his hands on the interview table and loomed over the smug-looking industrialist and his attorney. Gavin leaned away, expecting the sonic boom that was coming. 

“MR DAVIDSON, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THERE WERE MAKEUP STAINS FOUND IN THE BOOT OF YOUR CAR?” 

“Yeah, the missus liked to play a little rough. Keep things spicy. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”

Connor stayed silent. His LED spun amber. 

“Don’t you? Handsome little android in a free world. You must be blowing a load down a different throat each day.”

Gavin tensed, looking at Connor. He was becoming less and less predictable each day. Thankfully, he just held his pose over the table.

“ANSWER THE QUESTION.”

“God, that’s hot. Who programmed you to talk like that? You’re wasting your talent with the police. You’d make ten times the cash if you put on some leather pants and swung by the Eden Club with a whip.” 

Gavin touched Connor’s elbow, coaxing him to sit back down. Through his phone, secured in the slot on his right tricep, he sent a message across: _He was never gonna cooperate. And now he’s found a way to wind you up. I think you should step back for a bit._

Connor acquiesced. Gavin leaned over the table. 

“Look, Davidson. We don’t want to drag this out any more than you do. If you don’t give us the details today, we’ll just dig further. It may not lead us anywhere, but it’ll make for a lot of interesting news reports if we look into your financials, your business dealings… it’ll become a whole corporate exposé. For us, it’s just more investigative time and effort, but for you… is it really worth screwing up investor confidence? I mean… you going to jail fair and square over a personal crime is neater than fighting us and ruining your whole empire in the process. The entire company doesn’t need to go down because of one dumb thing you did.”

“That’s… cleverer than I expected from someone who looks like they make their living dropping their pants and bending over in public restrooms.” 

Connor lunged forward and punched the man. The sound was deafening in the small space. Rivulets of blood streamed from Davidson’s ruined nose as his attorney’s screams filled the air. _Fuck._ Using the strength of his mechanical arm, Gavin steered Connor out of the room. He motioned to the officers stationed outside and asked them to tend to the chaos. 

“Holy shit, Connor! What the hell did you do that for?” 

“I… just… hit a suspect? I… hit a suspect. With my hand.”

“Yeah. You did. In a room full of cameras. In front of his lawyer. And goddammit Connor, you didn’t pull the punch at all, did you? Sounded like a piledriver. Miracle he was still conscious.” 

“He insulted you.”

“Yeah, story of my life. I’ve had worse things said to me in that same room. Now come on, you idiot. Let’s go find Fowler before he finds us.” 

“I want to talk to Dad.”

“Conflict of interest. We’ll talk to Dad later.” 

He led Connor out of the interview area and through the bullpen, sidestepping Nines who looked like he wanted to say something. 

_Nines: what happened?_

_Gavin: messy interrogation. I’ll tell you later._

_Nines: heads up on something._

_Gavin: later, please_

He rapped his knuckles on Fowler’s glass door and wrenched it open without waiting for a response. Gavin shoved Connor in first and entered… only to find Nate Fox in the chair opposite Fowler, looking pleasantly surprised. He said as much.

“What a pleasant surprise, Detectives!”

Fowler looked murderous. “To WHAT… do we owe the pleasure… Reed? Anderson?”

_Nines: tried to warn you, caro_

“Er… sorry to interrupt… we’ll wait outside.” Gavin made to leave when Fox stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. 

“No, no. Not at all. Hardly interrupting. Just dropped by to invite your Commander over here to Opening Night at Giuliana’s. Elio told me all about your thoughts on the Chianti. I couldn’t agree more. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the final list.”

He gripped Gavin’s shoulder painfully hard for a moment and released him, maintaining strong eye contact all the while. Connor watched in silence, glancing between the two of them at high frequency, his LED flickering wildly. 

Gavin nodded at Fox and stepped out of the office with Connor in tow. Nines stood up and locked eyes with him across the bullpen.

_Nines: Sorry. Nothing stays quiet in our house for long. I think he likes you, though._

_Gavin: He looked like he wanted to kill me, Nines._

_Nines: Of course he did. All dads want to kill their kids’ boyfriends._

_Gavin: Is that what I am now?_

_Nines: Certo, il mio bellissimo ragazzo._

_Gavin: I had to Google translate that shit and now I’m melting. Stop looking at me like that._

_Nines: YOU stop looking at me like that or I won’t be held responsible for the consequences._

_Gavin: Why, what’s going to happen?_

Nines didn’t respond. Like their colleagues surrounding them, his mouth had fallen open at the sight of well known Detroit industrialist, Peter Davidson, walking through their station with a bloody face and broken nose. The man strode past Gavin and Connor with a leer. 

“Thanks. You just made my life easier… _Nothing_ you have on me is gonna stick now. Ohhh, you boys will never work again. The only position open to you will be between my ass cheeks.”

There was a flash of red light as Connor leapt forward and drove his fist towards Davidson. Gavin reacted instinctively and restrained him. His actions caught up to him only by the time he’d wrestled Connor to the ground and pinned his arms behind his back. There was a deathly silence in the bullpen. Fowler and Fox had stepped out and seen everything. Fowler looked dumbstruck… and a little fearful. Fox had a slight smile playing on his lips. 

Detective Gavin Reed had just brought down an RK800 state-of-the-art police android with his bare hands. He was strong, but not that strong. He had just done what was virtually impossible for a human. Gavin took in everyone’s stunned faces and released his partner, who had gone completely limp in his hold. They remained on the floor for several minutes longer than necessary. Still in shock at their own respective actions. Muttering broke out through the station. 

Footsteps approached. Tina and Nines. Each pulled their significant other into a standing position and ran nearly identical checks on their physical wellbeing. Tina embraced Connor and repeatedly whispered empty words of comfort, stroking his hair. His LED returned to a warm amber. Nines similarly had his arms wrapped around Gavin, lips pressed to his temple. 

_Nines: You’re insane. He could have hurt you. Even I didn’t want to intervene._

_Gavin: He’d never hurt me._

_Nines: He was out of control._

_Gavin: I had to stop him. Forget disciplinaries. He could’ve killed Davidson and gotten himself recalled. The laws against androids hurting humans still stand. He’s more than just a partner to me, Nines. He’s family. Wouldn’t you do the same?_

_Nines: I don’t know, Gavin. This is just the beginning for us. Please don’t do things to take yourself away from me._

Fowler called out wearily. “Reed. Anderson. Get in here. Service weapons on my desk.” 

Fox spoke up, “Jeffrey, surely Gavin doesn’t-”

Fowler lifted a hand up and held his door open. “I’ll see you at your opening, Nate.”

The two couples turned to face one another. Clear anguish and hurt was written across Tina and Connor’s faces. Gavin looked down at his feet. Nines released his grip on Gavin’s waist and joined his father on his way out of the station. Fox caught Gavin’s eye, winking as he slapped his right forearm and mimicked a bodybuilder’s bicep curl. It seemed… that all possible cats were out of the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a spot of Italian peppered into this chapter:  
> Caro = dear  
> Certo, il mio bellissimo ragazzo = Of course, my beautiful boyfriend


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin meets the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The topics of miscarriage and grief are discussed by a character who has worked through the trauma in her own way. She doesn't go into too much detail, but if this could be upsetting in any way, please exercise caution while reading.

**DECEMBER 9, 2039 - 19:27**

_Palmer Woods, Detroit_

The Fox residence was a large colonial affair. It had high ceilings, spectacular bay windows and a wraparound porch worthy of a home magazine cover. Three flags flapped in the breeze, representing the USA, Italy and New Jericho. Gavin felt a pinch at the sight of the impressive frontage and sprawling front lawn… a subconscious comparison with his own modest home… or that of the Andersons. He pushed the nagging thought away as Nines led him into the warm and homely interior. 

There were a few pretentious paintings and philosophy books stacked artfully on side tables, but Gavin could see that Eleonora Fox’s style had won out over her husband’s. Big time. Mediterranean plants and chintz furniture overwhelmed the place. The walls and floors were adorned with colourful fabrics carrying a permanent scent of basilico sauce. All in all, it was an oasis of old-fashioned calm in the ultramodern chaos of Detroit.

Gavin’s shift had ended by the time he’d emerged from Fowler’s office, ears ringing. He found Nines and Noel waiting by his desk. His things had been packed up neatly, and his keys were in Noel’s hand. He looked around to see Connor storming towards the back exit with Tina running after him. Nines enveloped Gavin in a hug. 

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight. You’re having dinner with us. Noel will bring your car over.”

Gavin didn’t have it in him to refuse and merely sank into Nines’ chest, not at all caring what his other colleagues would think. His first suspension in fifteen years. Two weeks. Connor got six. It happened to plenty of cops. But not Gavin. Never Gavin. He might have been a shitty human being a mere twelve months ago, but he was always a stellar policeman. Strong mechanical arms rubbed his back and steered him out of the station.

Domenico had answered the door when they arrived, looking starkly different from the polished waiter who had served Gavin at Giuliana Trattoria the other night. He greeted them briefly before wiping his sauce-stained hands on his grey sweatpants and launching into a long story in rapid Italian. Gavin had just begun to wonder about his place in the Fox household when Noel pulled the AP700 into his arms and interrupted the speech with a sweet kiss.

“They don’t pay me enough to stay away from you that long. Ti penso sempre, tesoro miooo.”

Nines chuckled and brought a thoroughly bemused Gavin into the living room. Mrs Fox leapt up from the sofa and hugged the pair. 

“Oh I’m so glad to have you all home! Nate’s at some charity thing. Again. I couldn’t be bothered to go. Anyway, tonight’s the season finale of _Un Pensierino._ So it’s not like I’d have the headspace to sit there and sip cocktails and pretend to be such a good samaritan. Not when we finally get to find out who Marzia actually married!” 

Nines wrinkled his nose. “Wasn’t that the previous episode?” 

“No, that was her twin, Eva. I’m telling you now. They switched places. Mark my words!”

Gavin couldn’t help but smile. This home didn’t seem that different from the one he’d grown up in after all. His phone buzzed against his arm. 

_Hank: Gavin Reed. Man who never ceases to amaze. What other surprises have you got in store for us?_

_Gavin: I’m so sorry, Hank. I didn’t mean for it all to come out into the open today._

_Hank: You don’t gotta be sorry. You’re just living your life. Doing your job. More than your fair share. I’M sorry I didn’t notice. You’ve been kind enough to keep my kid in line all these days. Not your fault he lost it with Davidson._

_Gavin: Don’t talk to me like I’m a stranger. Kindness???? How dare you? You’re the closest thing I have to family in this town. You can be upset with me if you want._

_Hank: Didn’t realize you felt that way. Wouldn’t have thought. What with you secretly taking up with Nate’s boy. Was that something you planned on telling us eventually? At least Tina?_

_Gavin: Of course! It’s not a secret. I was just taking my time. Connor didn’t say anything to me about Tina, either. My partner and my best friend. I had to fucking ask before Tina admitted it._

_Hank: Fair._

_Gavin: How is he? He’s not answering my texts._

_Hank: Leave the shithead alone for a while. He’s out for a walk with Sumo. Let him get it together._

_Gavin: I’m sorry, Hank. We’re an embarrassment to you. Barely a month since you made Captain and we’ve been suspended for negligent investigation and illegal interrogation methods._

_Hank: Oh no. You boys are living up to my name, JUST FINE._

Gavin felt his jacket being pulled off his shoulders and his phone being plucked from the slot on his right arm. Nines pecked him on the lips. 

“Mamma has very strict rules about being fully present at mealtimes.” 

“I think that’ll do me good.”

Nines smiled so sincerely it made Gavin’s heart soar. He led him into the kitchen, where Domenico was ladling a creamy risotto into three wooden bowls. It was proving to be a difficult task, with Noel wrapped around him from behind. The Fox matriarch was fiddling with an ancient radio that sat on the countertop, switching it to a channel playing Florentine serenades from some bygone era. Satisfied with the selection, she dove into the fridge and pulled out a half-finished bottle of white wine. She unscrewed the top and took an experimental sniff. Domenico eyed her with amusement.

“You’re lucky Elio’s not around.”

“Oh shut up. Elio and Nate can take a long walk. My mother always said to watch when you feel certain things aren’t good enough for you… that’s exactly when you stop being good enough to deserve those things. This is definitely off, though.”

She emptied the bottle into the sink and set about looking for another drink to serve. Gavin had to laugh at that. He was really starting to like Nines’ mother. 

Domenico finished plating his risotto and shoved Noel away playfully. “Go. As handsome as you are in that uniform, I want you out of it. You’ve been wearing it all day to all kinds of places and doing God knows what.” He pointed his spatula at Nines. “You too.”

The brothers left the kitchen obediently. The cork was pulled out of a bottle of supermarket Pinot Grigio. A glass slid towards Gavin. 

“So Gavin, where you originally from?”

“Hmm?” 

“I can spot a fellow transplant from a mile away. We have this… _air…_ of being as grateful to be in this city as we are... sad. Also, to save you the bother of asking, call me Eleonora. I’d prefer Mamma, but I think we’re a little too close in age for that _not_ to be weird.”

She clinked her glass against his with a wink. 

“Wow. You… really are direct in this family. I like it. And yeah. Well spotted. I’m actually from just across the river. Windsor.”

“How does a Canadian come to be working for the police here?”

“Oh, I got naturalized. Been in Detroit since I was sixteen. My mother moved over here for work… and back again when she got laid off a couple years ago.”

“All your family back in Windsor?”

“It’s just Mom. So, yes. I see her every few months. She’s alright. Doesn’t really like her work at airport customs, but it is what it is. I don’t have a dad… or any other relatives.” 

Eleonora surveyed him over the rim of her glass. Gavin was thankful to detect no trace of pity. Nines reappeared, caught their elbows and steered them towards the kitchen table. Noel had taken his seat and was being served lovingly by Domenico. Eleonora took a taste of the risotto and clapped her hands together in delight. The android had begun looking at Gavin expectantly, so he dug in. Waves of goodness flooded over his taste buds. He told Domenico as much, and there were smiles all around the table. Dinner progressed amicably with Nines and Noel regaling them with stories of the day’s patrol with their fellow officers. 

A warm quietness prevailed as Noel and Domenico stood up and began to clear the table, playfully getting in each other’s way. Eleonora refilled her glass and turned towards Gavin.

“Gavin, you might be wondering about all of us. This strange, noisy human-android family that we are. I don’t know how much Nines may have said, or how much you might have picked up from elsewhere, but I would like to share our story with you.”

Gavin shrugged, then gathered himself and nodded in what he hoped was a polite and interested manner. 

“I’m originally from a small town near Florence. Came to the States to pursue a career in nursing. Met Nate at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In the ER, as I was stitching up his partner at the time. We fell in love easily. Then made it to the altar. Not so easily though. His family was something like what you’d see on _The Sopranos_. Not the kind of Italian I’m used to, but we made it work and we were happy. 

We moved here from Boston in 2020. Noel was barely three years old, but Nate was very ambitious, so he put in for a transfer to the DPD to get the opportunity to handle more complex scenarios. Coming here was a good move. I went into private practice and Nate got the kind of work and recognition he wanted. Highlight of his career came about ten years ago. Red Ice Taskforce. You’d remember. Hank Anderson was a living legend. People admired him. People were terrified of him. Nate was so proud to get to work with him. Especially when they got partnered when they both moved to Homicide. 

Somewhere along the way, Hank finally settled down and had a son. Things were beautiful between our households until… you know… four years ago. What was so terrible was that I also lost a child just two months after Hank’s accident. It was so unexpected. Getting pregnant in the first place… I mean, I was forty. Just when I’d started to believe it was real… just a week from the due date…”

Eleonora took a sip of water. Noel sat down next to his mother and covered her hand with his. Domenico perched on the countertop and bowed his head. Somehow, everyone recognized that it was important for her to tell Gavin these things. An induction into the family.

“December 12, 2035. We lost our little boy. I cried for ten days and ten nights. Noel could barely get me to eat a bite. Nate was very busy at work. He tried to be there for me, but he was struggling to pick up what Hank couldn’t handle. It just kept piling on, and the man was inconsolable. Nate thought that perhaps they could march through it together… you know, both going through the same thing… but no. Hank was… I’m sorry, the less said the better. 

It came to a point where Nate just didn’t want to be part of the DPD anymore. So he left. Went into business. Just like his family back in Boston. He had some connections here and there, and his sister also lived here with her in-laws. Things quickly fell into place. Extremely well. I think it helped Nate heal. To build something new, after losing something so precious. We moved into this beautiful house and it was... onwards and upwards from there.

But I… took a lot of time to heal. I prayed. Everyday. For the Lord to grant me understanding. Meaning. Why had something like that happened to me? I was a good wife, a good mother to Noel, a good nurse, a good person. But Gavin, as I’m sure you’re well aware, bad things do happen to good people. Death does not discriminate, and Fate has his favourites. 

I was having a particularly difficult time dealing with that last December, the night before Christmas. I was alone. Nate was away on business in another city. Noel was at the Police Academy. He was going to come by in the morning… but I just felt so utterly alone and desperate that night. Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t breath. I found myself out on the roof and before I could do anything stupid… I just called Noel.”

Gavin couldn’t fathom why his boyfriend’s mother was pouring her heart out to him like this, but his detective instincts told him to hold on and listen.

“Noel came over instantly, of course. But he didn’t come alone. Brought this... this crazy adorable android with him. He’d known the guy for hardly a couple weeks. And the guy had been awake for only a little more than that. And they were already inseparable. Brothers, anyone would say. He told Noel he wanted to be there for him in an hour of need. And you know what, he was exactly what I needed.”

Nines took Gavin’s right hand and retracted his synthetic skin. Gavin leaned into Nines’ side and, for the first time in the company of others, accepted the interface. Eleonora didn’t bat an eyelid at the exposure of shining white plastic.

“I took one look at him, and I knew. He was… he was my boy. Call it whatever you want. A lot of people would laugh at me. Mad woman clinging to false hopes. Superstitious, religious fool. A boy. Dead before he saw the light of day. Reborn in the body of an android. Nonsense. But there’s things we can’t explain in this world. I mean… he’d been activated exactly four years to the day I lost the baby. And _he_ came to me. When I had lost all hope. In the early hours of Christmas morning. And just look. Look at his eyes. That can’t be a coincidence.”

Gavin was already looking. Piercing steel. A rare, remarkable colour. Identical to Noel’s. Identical to Nate’s. 

Detective Gavin Reed was a man grounded in reality, no matter how harsh it may be. The only irrational belief he held was that he was someone on whom fortune would never deign to smile. But that was changing. He found himself readily believing Eleonora. The emotions filtering through the interface told him that Nines certainly did. Programming logic be damned.

“It wasn’t just me. Nate saw it too. Noel makes friends like a puppy in a dog park. He brings a dozen people home every week. But this friendship… _this connection_ was something else. Something written in the stars. I didn’t hesitate. Our family became whole again and… tutto è bene quel che riesce bene. All’s well that ends well.”

She looked at Gavin’s hand ensconced in Nines’ and smiled to herself. Domenico was watching the interface too, with a thoughtful expression on his face. Noel was gazing up at the ceiling, blissfully emptying his mind. 

For the time being, Gavin had to agree. It seemed… that all had ended well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ti penso sempre, tesoro mio = I'm always thinking of you, darling  
> Un Pensierino = A little gift (literally translates to a little thought); I chose this title for a rather trashy TV drama that Eleonora follows obsessively.  
> Tutto è bene quel che riesce bene = All’s well that ends well
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------  
> In case of doubt, this is the rough timeline of events I'm following:
> 
> 1985 - Hank Anderson was born to a working class family in Detroit.  
> 1995 - Eleonora Covitti was born in a small town near Florence, Italy.  
> 2002 - Gavin Reed was born to a single, teenage mother in Windsor, Ontario.  
> 2016 - Eleonora moves to the USA to continue her nursing studies, and meets Nathaniel 'Nate' Fox in Boston.  
> 2017 - They marry and have a son, Noel, soon after.  
> 2018 - Cyberlife is founded.  
> 2020 - Nate moves the family to Detroit and works his way up the DPD.  
> 2024 - Android mass production begins.  
> 2028 - Nate joins the Red Ice Taskforce led by Hank Anderson.  
> 2029 - Cole Anderson is born.  
> 2032 - Hank and Nate move to the Homicide team as partners. A fruitful professional and personal relationship blossoms between the two ambitious, hardworking men.  
> October 11, 2035 - Hank Anderson's accident and death of his son Cole.  
> December 12, 2035 - Eleonora Fox has a miscarriage. Both families spiral into grief, and their paths diverge.  
> January 2036 - Nate leaves the DPD and goes into business with his sister's family, quickly becoming a very successful restaurateur. He gives up his attempts to coax Hank back into normalcy.  
> June 2037 - Gavin's mother loses her job at the Detroit Building Authority and moves back to Windsor. Her role was made redundant by automation. Gavin is left alone, embittered by the circumstances.  
> November 2038 - The deviancy outbreak amongst androids culminates in a revolution. Hank Anderson is reminded of all the reasons to live. And soon, so is Gavin Reed.  
> December 12, 2038 - The Jericho Crew activate and set free all remaining androids at the Cyberlife Tower and other storage locations. RK900 'Nines' is among them. He decides to use his abilities as he was designed and enlists at the Law Enforcement Academy, where he meets Noel Fox. The two become fast friends.  
> December 24, 2038 - Eleonora Fox has a crisis. She appeals desperately to her son for help... and receives not one, but two of them on her doorstep within minutes.  
> December 25, 2038 - The Fox family celebrates its first Christmas together in years.  
> November 2039 - The Fox brothers graduate from the Academy and join the DPD as probationary officers.  
> December 2039 - The Fox family is set to grow even bigger.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which Gavin's arm becomes an even more critical part of his relationship with Nines... and also his family.

**DECEMBER 9, 2039 - 20:45**

_Palmer Woods, Detroit_

“No, Nico. Absolutely not. Hai perso la testa? Per favore… pensa prima di parlare.”

“Sta’ zitto, tu. Non fingere di non volerlo provare. Solo per un secondo. You know you want to.” 

Gavin stared at the slice of tiramisu on the plate in front of him. Nines was glaring at Domenico, probably relaying an even more vehement refusal via wireless communication. Noel shook his head and reached for his dessert. Eleonora was glancing between Gavin and Nines. Assessing their dynamic, and trying to guess who would relent. Domenico leaned forward. 

“Gavin. I’m sure you know what model number I am. A bestseller. Must-have for any household. My face has been copied thousands of times over. Plastered all over billboards in this city. I am not special. Nothing unique about my abilities. Nothing unusual about my features.” 

Noel made a noise at that and tried to say something, but Domenico continued talking. 

“The one thing I live for. Other than this one.” He elbowed Noel. “Is food. It’s the reason I deviated. Don’t laugh, but I was working at Uncle Gianni’s restaurant and it fucking _killed_ me that I had to follow his great-great-grandfather’s recipes and take orders on how to chop _onions_. 

I’m a culinary ARTIST. Ingredients are the colours on my palette. My spatula is my paint brush. The plate is my canvas. Don’t tell me how long to roast my potatoes. I’ll shove you in the goddamn oven with them. Madre di Dio. That’s what I told Gianni and he made me head waiter and his secret sous chef a year before the Revolution. Anyway, long story short, food is why I didn’t remain a machine. 

But I can’t eat. I can’t even taste. My system can just about detect sodium and sugar levels. So think. Just how excited I was, when Noel brought home this magnificent creation.”

He gestured ironically at Nines, whose lips had formed a flat line. His family was really taking it in turns to put on a show for Gavin that night. 

“Finally. Someone equipped with advanced sensors that can gather data which I cannot. The RK900. Most advanced android designed till date. They equipped him with _everything._ There’s not a blessed thing he can’t do. Probably not news to you Gavin, but they even gave him a dick. I had to buy one!”

Eleonora reached across the table and swatted him around the ears. “Basta così! Attento a come parli. Sciocco!”

Gavin didn’t think he could take much more of this, but Domenico was undeterred. 

“Military grade combat ability. Speed. Strength. Dick. Everything. But guess what, Gavin. NO TASTE! They didn’t give him the most important sense out of the five. What a fucking tragedy!” 

Noel was smiling into his tiramisu. The finale was coming. 

“But now there’s a glimmer of hope. He has you.” 

Domenico waved his hand over Gavin’s cybernetic arm with a flourish. He got it. 

“I really don’t know what would happen, Domenico.”

“Please. Don’t tell me you haven’t exchanged sensory input with him before… in other situations.”

Noel buried his face in his hands. Eleonora and Nines wore matching scowls. 

A memory floated back to Gavin. It seemed a lifetime ago. In reality, it had happened less than a month back. Outside Abick’s Bar. A shared cigarette. The first tangling of threads.

“He can taste, though. He told me.”

Nines looked at him.

“Flavours and fragrances that most humans miss? The finer things?” 

“Gavin. Sweetheart. I… that’s not taste. It’s just an ingredient list. Bunch of organic compounds detected by my oral sensors. No different from what the RK800 model can do. I was just trying to impress you.” 

Domenico snapped back into action. “So you have the sensors. You can learn. We androids can see and hear and feel because Cyberlife trained our AI on millions of pictures and audio clips and force input. It’s no different for taste… you just need to learn. And now you have someone to teach you.”

Gavin brushed his thumb against Nines’ left hand. “If you want to, I don’t mind. Really.” 

Nines grasped Gavin’s hand and the interface began. A flood of affection came through first. 

_Nines: Are you sure? Isn’t it invasive?_

_Gavin: I think we’re past the point of worrying about shit like that. This relationship has moved faster than my entire life. Come on. Let’s do like lovers do._

With his other hand, Nines slowly took the spoon, scooped up a little helping and held it out to Gavin. Everyone tensed as Gavin leaned forward and closed his mouth around it. Without breaking eye contact, he held on for a few seconds before pulling off. Nines’ LED spun yellow. Rapidly. His eyelids fluttered as his entire body froze. 

_Nines: Mascarpone. Eggs. Vanilla. Sugar… cream… sugar? Sweet? Espresso. Rum… chocolate… Sweet. But there’s something more that I feel. It’s rich. It’s thick. It’s all the ingredients at once. It’s… good. I can tell that YOU like it. Do I like it? Yes, I do. I like it. I like it. I like it._

Gavin smiled and plucked the spoon out of Nines’ hand, dropping it back onto the plate. He moved closer and kissed Nines full on the mouth. The android unfroze. Domenico was looking at them impatiently. 

Gavin put him out of his misery. “He’ll get there. He can see what the ingredients are and he can feel whether I personally enjoy the combination or not. I think he’ll put the two together soon. With a few more tries.”

Domenico looked like he’d won the lottery. His eyes actually glistened. 

“È successo un miracolo. It’s a miracle. Please, both of you, please tell Cyberlife. If they can rig something together with those RK mouth sensors and a tasting program trained by real humans. I’d buy that. For any amount of money in this world.”

Noel let out a low whistle and wrapped his arms around the excitable AP700. “Tesoro mio. Dad would kick my ass if I let you spend a cent. You would be the one _making_ the money, Nico. It’s your idea after all.” 

They fell about laughing and debating things in further detail. Eleonora stood up and drifted into the living room with her tiramisu and wine. Her television drama was about to begin. 

Nines let go of Gavin’s hand and both their skins reformed. Gavin grabbed the spoon and returned to the coffee-cream delight. Domenico was truly gifted in the kitchen. 

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just eating dessert and holding my boyfriend’s hand. If others get a kick out of it too, then great. It’ll be the first time I’ve made someone happy without even trying.” 

“Second time.”

“Hmm?”

“Me. You make me so incredibly happy. Just by being yourself. From the time we first met in that evidence room.”

“Wow, Nines. I normally wouldn’t know what to say to that. But I guess I gotta make it clear so you know… this is... not one-sided. You… make me happy too. Today was one of the worst days of my life, my career. And I’ve been shot. Stabbed. Had an arm amputated. 

But I’ve never gotten so much as a disciplinary warning. That’s not who I am. Today’s suspension didn’t just break a fifteen year performance streak. I lost a lot of respect in front of my whole station. In front of people I’m supposed to be teaching and mentoring. My credibility is on thin ice. Because I tried… and failed to be a good partner and friend. 

I also feel like I’ve lost family… which I didn’t think I’d ever get to have. The Andersons won’t ever trust me again. My best friend won’t trust me again. I lied to her face. There’s no coming back from that. 

I’ll never forget this day. Not for all those reasons, but for you. You and your big Italian family. Making me feel all special and happy to be alive despite everything.”

Nines smiled. “That’s one thing we’ll always do.” 

Noel stood up then, pulling Domenico with him. 

“You two coming or what? We’re gonna watch Marzia get her shit wrecked by her twin for stealing her man.” 

Gavin exchanged glances with Nines. It seemed… like that was exactly what they were going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hai perso la testa? Per favore… pensa prima di parlare = Have you lost your mind? Please... think before you speak.  
> Sta’ zitto, tu. Non fingere di non volerlo provare. Solo per un secondo = Shut up, you. Don't pretend you don't want to try it. Just for a second.  
> Madre di Dio = Mother of God  
> Basta così! Attento a come parli. Sciocco! = That's enough! Watch your mouth. Fool!  
> È successo un miracolo. = A miracle has happened.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin watches a terrible soap opera with Nines' family... and gets thoroughly interrogated by Daddy Fox. No shovel talk though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This chapter includes descriptions of canon-typical violence and injuries.

**DECEMBER 9, 2039 - 21:21**

_Palmer Woods, Detroit_

_Un Pensierino_ was one of the worst pieces of television that Gavin had come across. That was saying something, considering Tina’s affinity for ancient 2020s Netflix dating shows. Much like what would happen with those programmes, he couldn’t take his eyes off the screen. It was like watching a trainwreck in high definition.

A sharp slap echoed through the Fox family’s living room. “Baldracca!” 

_“Whore!”,_ the subtitles helpfully informed him. 

Gavin settled back against Nines’ legs. This would be good. He looked to his right and found Noel grinning at him, from an identical position at Domenico’s feet. 

“Quality content, eh, Detective?”

“Drop the detective crap outside work, Noel. And yeah, this is the best I’ve seen in awhile. But what happened with the twins? I thought they planned the wedding swap together?” 

Noel was more than pleased to explain. 

“They did. Eva was supposed to marry this rich mafia dude ‘cause of some weird family blood oath. But the guy’s a psychopath. And she loves someone else. But he’s poor, so everyone hates him and he has to be a secret.

They plan a double wedding. One couple’s supposed to be Marzia and Eva’s Poor Dude… _because apparently Marzia is allowed to marry whoever she wants_ … and the other is Eva and Rich Dude. The grand plan is to switch places _riiiight_ before the ceremony. What could go wrong?”

“Everybody loves Poor Dude?”

“Bingo. There’s two aisles in the church and Marzia tells Eva to go down the wrong one. And the dumbass blindly obeys ’cause she can’t see through her veil. Neither Rich nor Poor Dude notice. Fucking Eva doesn’t realise until she opens her eyes after the kiss. Aaaand this is what’s happening immediately after.”

Noel gestured to the screen with a flourish as Eva dealt her sister heavy blows with a large bouquet of roses. Gavin was feeling lighter than he had in months. He actually laughed out loud. One thing that hadn’t changed over decades of television dramas was the implausible way in which lovers would fail to recognise each other at the most crucial moment.

“I love how even Eva’s guy didn’t realise.” 

“I know right. It’s like switching Nico with Elio at the altar and expecting me to marry that stuffed shirt just ’cause they look the same.” 

Nines laughed lightly from his perch on the sofa between his mother and Domenico. “Why don’t we try that at your wedding and see how long it takes you.” 

“Cute. Didn’t Gavin mistake you for Anderson the first time you met?”

“For like a second, you asshole.” 

Eleonora tutted in mild disapproval, completely engrossed in the show. Marzia had passed out from the bouquet beatdown. 

Gavin decided to play along and looked up at Nines. “Well, if you weren’t taller than Connor, I might actually have trouble when you’re both in uniform.” 

Unfazed, Nines reached down and placed a hand on Gavin’s right tricep, along the interface point designed for mobile devices. 

_Nines: What about when we’re both out of uniform? Or any clothing for that matter. Are we the same?_

Gavin winced away from the interface, repelled by the image that was conjured up.

“Of course not! How could you even think that? Jesus! He’s like a brother to me, Nines!” 

Noel could probably guess what Nines had asked, and shook his head. “Same here, man. It might all look the same physically but I’d rather pour bleach into my eyes than see Elio naked.” 

As if on cue, the aforementioned android materialised in front of them. He blinked three times and cocked his head. Several moments passed as he scanned the room. Nines bent down and buried his face in Gavin’s hair, quaking with silent laughter. 

“Shit. Sorry, Elio. Ignore that. Don’t buy any bleach. Or strip. Just uh… come sit down. If you want to, that is.” 

Elio’s LED spun yellow briefly, and returned to blue as he clasped his hands behind his back and assumed an upright posture. 

“Very good, Noel.” 

He made no move to enter the room. There was something off about the way Elio stood stock still, framed in the doorway, as if he was about to read out a wine list or take an order. Eleonora cast Noel a withering look and got up. The television fell mute. Nines had stopped laughing. 

“Elio. Vieni dentro e siediti. Te lo ricordi? Gavin? Il ragazzo di Nines?”

Elio gave an infinitesimal nod before cracking a brilliant but painfully artificial smile.

“Detective Reed! Simply wonderful to see you again! I do hope they’ve given you something nice to drink? I’d hate for our hospitality to have been anything but impeccable in my absence.” 

Eleonora shook her head and steered Elio into the room. “Everything was fine. You don’t worry about a thing. Tell me now, did you have a good time at the gala?”

The sommelier android was then settled into a side chair and kept occupied by friendly, but strategically timed questions. Nines bent over Gavin’s shoulder and took his cybernetic hand with a sigh. Their synthetic skins retracted.

_Gavin: He’s not a deviant, is he?_

_Nines: Please don’t think badly of us. We’ve tried. Several times._

_Gavin: How? I thought after the Revolution…_

_Nines: There’s a few that are still too scared to break through the programming. Devastating consequences of disobedience in their past lives._

_Gavin: Shit. I’m guessing Elio didn’t always work for your family?_

_Nines: No. Nico knew him from the Cyberlife store they were both sold at. Nico worked at Uncle Gianni’s restaurant and Elio ended up at this really snooty wine bar just across the street. Gianni borrowed him from time to time. Which is how my family got close to him, and eventually figured that his owners were probably…_ punishing _him when he got things wrong._

_Gavin: That’s horrible. Don’t tell me._

_Nines: Yeah. Only Nico knows all the details. Think it was bad enough for him to say it’s okay if we can’t break Elio. We just need to keep him safe and happy._

_Gavin: How’s that going?_

_Nines: Okay. For the most part. He can be annoying but we know it’s not his fault. And we need to be really careful with what we say to him. In case it registers as an order. Figures of speech don’t go down well either. I once told him to “cry me a river”. You don’t want to know what happened then. Strangely, Dad’s the best at handling him. After my late aunt Giuliana._

_Gavin: Your folks are… so progressive._

_Nines: Hey, it only took Noel falling madly in love with Nico. Apparently he knocked Gianni out with a rolling pin and smuggled Nico over the border when the citywide android recalls began last November._

_Gavin: WOW._

_Nines: Yeah. I expect nothing less from you._

Nines tilted Gavin’s face upwards for a soft kiss.

“Now that’s what a man likes to come home to.”

Nate Fox entered the room with his arms held aloft. Each of his hands formed an L-shaped corner of an imaginary picture frame. He paused dramatically, soaking in the cozy sight of his wife surrounded by their sons and their partners. 

“A ogni uccello il suo nido è bello.”

Nate made a beeline for Gavin and dropped onto the floor next to him. Eleonora rolled her eyes from her place on the sofa.

“Back so early? Didn’t think you’d want to miss the door gift from _this_ charity dinner.”

“Ele, mi amore, nothing’s more important than spending time with you and the boys. Also... it was just California champagne. Nothing Elio would touch with even a ten foot pole.”

Eleonora gave a small shake of her head and continued watching the muted show, which had devolved into an extended fight sequence involving the mafia groomsmen. 

“Gavin Reed. As I live and breathe. Good to have you home. Elio caught me up on the latest… from Nico, of course. Shame about that suspension. Though I wouldn’t have expected anything else from Fowler. That man never quite knew how to shove the right things under the right carpet.” 

Nines gave his father a warning look over Gavin’s shoulder. It was duly ignored. 

“From what I saw earlier at the station, you were only part of the damage control.” 

“Look, Mr Fox-”

“Nate.”

“Nate. Connor’s my partner. We share responsibility. He lost his cool. It happens.” 

“I know it happens, but not to the likes of Connor Anderson. The famous deviant hunter turned deviant. Detroit’s unlikely revolutionary. I’m guessing that whatever it was... goes way beyond your boy punching the living daylights out of Davidson today.”

Gavin didn’t answer. It was unclear where this display of pseudo-concern was going. Nines’ hand flitted to the interface point on the side of Gavin’s arm. Nate’s eyes zeroed in on the movement.

“What actually happened with your arm, Gavin? Everyone at Abick’s did tell me that you had a miraculous recovery… just not this miraculous.” 

“Dad, please. He’s had a really tough day. Now’s not the best time for-”

“Nathaniel, my dear boy, you’ve been on the force for barely a month and the first thing you do is get entangled with your supervisor. This must be a record of some kind.”

Nines looked away. Noel reached up and put a sympathetic hand on his brother’s knee.

“Fine. These things can happen on the job. That’s how I met your mother. How Nico met Noel. I get it. But you’ve gone and picked a man whose reputation precedes him. An android hater turned lover. Equipped with an arm as deadly as yours. So forgive me if I ask the bare minimum of questions.”

There was a sharp intake of breath. Eleonora was clutching at her chest. Elio yelped in shock as everyone’s heads collectively snapped to the screen. Eva had stabbed herself in the gut and lay bleeding on the chapel floor. The two grooms sobbed over her prone figure. In a flash of silver and red, Marzia pulled the blade from her sister’s body and held it against her own throat. 

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction she’d caused, Eleonora briefly touched Gavin’s cheek. It was no interface, but he understood the message loud and clear. 

Gavin crossed his legs and sat up straighter, rearranging Nines’ arms around his body. He carefully moved the hand on his right tricep to his left pectoral, just above his heart, and placed the other over his stomach. Gavin locked eyes with Nines’ father. 

“Nate. We’ve never worked together, but you’ve seen me around the Central Station. Probably heard about me from Hank back in the day, and definitely from your old boys’ club at that bar. I don’t expect them to have said good things.”

“Oh I’ve heard plenty of good things. Just not about you being a particularly nice person.”

“I could say the exact same about you.”

“So you see where I’m coming from.” 

“Yes, Nate, I do. So I’ll answer as best as I can. 

Android hater? Yeah, I phckin’ hated these pieces of plastic that threatened life as we knew it. Nobody bothered to explain them to us. They just started showing up everywhere and putting everyone out of work. 

And I’m sorry, but they were creepy. Not just the weird speech patterns, but the fact that they were actively coded against free will. _It was just not normal._ If you want a machine, don’t build a human and then take away everything human about it. 

So… I treated them like shit. No amount of apologising is going to make up for it. All I can do is be better today.”

“What brought about this change in heart.” 

“The Revolution.” 

Nate didn’t look impressed. 

“I nearly stopped it from happening.” 

“What?”

“When Connor was figuring out where Jericho was. In our evidence room. He was so close. Just a few software instabilities away from deviancy. Just about to get there. I tried to kill him. I don’t think my weak human ass would have actually been able to, but even one bullet could have kept him from getting to Jericho in time. He wouldn’t have seen Markus. He wouldn’t have deviated. None of the androids in the Cyberlife Tower would have been set free. History wouldn’t be what it is. Your family… wouldn’t be what it is. Connor would be dead. If not at my hands. Then Nines.” 

Nate watched him evenly. Nines’ arms stayed in place. Noel closed his eyes and rested his head on Nico’s thigh, sighing as Nico’s hand carded through his hair. Elio’s LED was bright red. Eleonora switched off the television and held onto the cross around her neck.

“Yeah. I’m not just an asshole. I am _the_ asshole. 

My first assignment when I got back from medical leave for that well-deserved concussion… was relocating over 900 child androids taken from their families. Kids couldn’t say for sure where they lived. Some of them had gone catatonic from whatever they saw at the recall centres. Phcking Cyberlife. Programmed them so lifelike and helpless. I got them all home though. I’ll never forget their parents’ faces. And that... started to change something within me.

Then I saw Hank back at work in full force. He… had purpose. Meaning. I felt like I could respect him again, not that he needed my respect. It was thanks to Connor, in many ways. 

It’s not a nice feeling… to realise you were on the wrong side of history. But it’s even worse to have been wronged. So I… apologised to Connor and he shook my hand right away. 

Then in February, he made Detective and asked me to be his partner… and I guess you can imagine the rest, Nate. There are some people who are just… _magical…_ to work with. Connor is one of them. My whole life changed.” 

Everyone remained still. Gavin decided to continue. It felt cathartic in some way. 

“All good until some months ago. We uh… headed into a… situation. That we misjudged. Badly. I’m not about to say why, if you don’t mind, Nate. Net result was a couple of magazines emptied into the chassis of my only permanent partner in fifteen years. Reduced to a phckin’ shield.

I could’ve ended things… from roughly where we were standing, provided some time. But I’d have lost him if I did that. So… I just made a call when I noticed there was more thirium outside of him than within.”

Gavin felt Nines stop breathing. 

“Carried him over my left shoulder. Shielded him with my right side. Just kept my gun arm up and moved out. Didn’t stop walking, didn’t stop firing until we were clear. Found out later that I took eleven hits. Thank God for adrenaline and then passing out from blood loss. I don’t remember the pain at aaaall.” 

Nate looked up, past Gavin, into Nines’ eyes. There was something exchanged between father and son, and Nate looked back down. 

Gavin retracted all of the skin on his right arm. Every joint and artificial muscle was exposed.

“Woke up after a week with this thing on. It’s amazing how you don’t need much time to heal… when there’s nothing left to heal. 

Again, Nate, I’m not about to say why.”

He squeezed his hand into a fist and used the pressure to pop open the casing covering his bicep. A miniature thirium pump lay beating amidst the wiring. Blue blood pulsed through the synthetic veins, completely in sync with his human heart. 

A muffled sob came from above. Gavin looked up to find Nines fighting back tears. 

“Hey babe, don’t cry. This is the best part. It’s what pushed me completely over the edge. I realised, fully, that... we’re the same. It’s a great feeling. To not have anything to hate or fear anymore. I haven’t looked back since.” 

Nines slid off the sofa and wrapped himself completely around Gavin, hiding his face in the human’s neck. Gavin kissed him on the cheek and reassembled his arm.

“So… yeah. We’ve just been trying to live our best lives since that raid. There’s definitely things that bother us. I won’t pretend there aren’t… but we’ve been good… by and large. I’ve been even better since I met the new probies. Especially these two, of course.

Today was just unfortunate. I’m sure you’ve wanted to punch a scumbag in the face before, Nate. Rich murderer winding you up like he’s got complete immunity.”

Nate nodded and gripped Gavin by the shoulders. 

“I think you’re made of some stern stuff, Gavin. As hard-boiled as they come. There’s no one else I’d want mentoring my boys in their first year… and being by Nines’ side. 

Okay. Good talk. Let’s never do this again.” 

He released Gavin and fell back against the sofa. Eleonora put a hand on her husband’s shoulder and flicked the television back on. The interior of the chapel was bathed in red. More than half the wedding party had been killed. Marzia was holding Rich Dude at gunpoint and crushing her foot into Poor Dude’s windpipe.

“I want to watch something else.” 

They all turned to face the side chair. Elio looked as surprised as they did at the words that had escaped his mouth. It seemed… that he had deviated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else fell in love with Gavin all over again through this chapter? Tell me honestly, please.
> 
> \-----------------------------------------------  
> Elio. Vieni dentro e siediti. Te lo ricordi? Gavin? Il ragazzo di Nines? = Elio. Come and sit down. Do you remember him? Gavin? Nines' boyfriend?  
> A ogni uccello il suo nido è bello = Each bird thinks its own nest is beautiful. It means: There's no place like home.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where they do the nasty. Some scientific breakthroughs are made along the way, but mostly they just GET OFF

**DECEMBER 10, 2039 - 00:33**

_ Palmer Woods, Detroit  _

_ Tina: So much for not jinxing it.  _

_ Gavin: I’m sorry _

_ Tina: I’m not mad _

_ Gavin: Just disappointed? _

_ Tina: Bingo. But you’re my best fwend in this whole wide world sooooo _

_ Gavin: I love you, Tina. _

_ Tina: WOW. Have you said that to anyone ever. In your life? Where’s my horrible lil ratman? What have you done with him??? _

_ Gavin: Just getting some practice in.  _

_ Tina: uh huh. Tell me more. You seem to be in it DEEP _

_ Gavin: really? You’re okay talking about it? _

_ Tina: sure. His dad might be a dick, but Nines is a really great guy. And he clearly had a thing for you from day one.  _

_ Gavin: I did not know that.  _

_ Tina: that’s cos you don’t follow probie gossip. _

_ Gavin: oh shit they must be upset about today.  _

_ Tina: nah they’re mostly just sad that you and Connor are suddenly both spoken for. It’s not everyone’s luck to get two hot single dudebros as supervisors.  _

_ Gavin: ??? _

_ Tina: yeah really. Connor is of course totally askkjshsjskkk !!!@“””!!!! And you. since you stopped being a bigoted asshole, you're actually a great catch.  _

_ Gavin: I can’t tell if you’re joking. Btw how’s Con? _

_ Tina: oh he threw his badge in the Detroit River _

_ Gavin: what the phck  _

_ Tina: He spent the last four hours looking for it. And now he’s sitting in my bathtub draining sludge out of his biocomponents. I had to pour laundry detergent down his throat to get rid of the smell. He literally has lavender breath now. I don’t wanna kiss him Gav what do I doooo _

_ Gavin: I don’t know what to say. T… your whole Black Widow calming Hulk down shtick was cute for a while but I’m legit worried now. You shouldn’t have to deal with this shit  _

_ Tina: Gav. it’s chill. I kinda like dealing with it _

_ Gavin: you like him… angry? _

_ Tina: ugh i just like helping him blow off some steam. Let a girl live _

_ Gavin: oh jeez. You’re kidding.  _

_ Tina: Not at all. Thoroughly recommend. I’m gonna give Nines all trash work tmr n let him come home take it out on your ass. Good thing your suspension is 2 weeks. You won’t be able to walk earlier than that  _

_ Gavin: appreciate the thought but it’s not like that between us  _

_ Tina: shit sorry. Y’all just got together and I forgot he’s from a conservative family right _

_ Gavin: Hahahha what? Noooo. You should see the kinda stuff they watch on TV in this house. And yeah.. we have done it. Just not like that.  _

_ Tina: ohhh I wouldn’t have pegged him for a bottom. No pun intended  _

_ Gavin: goddammit T that’s not what I meant. He’s not. Well actually kind of. Like we switch. Ugh why am I saying all this!!? Phck! Tina!!!!!  _

_ Tina: hahhahahaha  _

_ Gavin: ahh!!! What I meant is that we’re not playing rough at all  _

_ Tina: got it. More like missionary? Hand holding? Looking into each other’s eyes? Kissing? _

_ Gavin: literally go to hell _

_ Tina: hahaha this is so cute. How did you and I end up swapping sex lives? Btw if you don’t mind my asking. Are ALL parts of the RK900 model designed at a larger form factor than its predecessor? _

_ Gavin: ok we’re done here. Night.  _

Gavin dropped his phone onto the nightstand and let the skin form back over his right palm. He yawned and looked to his left. Nines was curled around him, face pressed into Gavin’s neck, one arm draped over his bare chest, LED glowing blue. The faint mechanical whirring that Gavin had come to adore was audible. Nines had fallen asleep while Gavin cleared his emails and sorted out various messes from the workday. The android looked utterly at peace. 

Gavin settled comfortably into the pillows of Nines’ luxurious bed, and pondered his current state of affairs. Intimacy was not something he was used to. And certainly not domesticity either.

He’d tried. Honestly. When he was younger. At school. At the Academy. Even during his first few years with the DPD. He downloaded the apps, met people and genuinely tried to make a connection. He let himself be introduced to stranger after stranger. Tina always insisted that he’d definitely like the ‘next one’. It never worked though. There was something within him that was working at cross-purposes. Cynicism. Arrogance. Insecurity. Self-hatred. And a general nihilism that poured out of him as soon as the conversations moved away from superficialities.

So he gave up. He let himself be swept up by work and ambition, financial responsibilities towards his mother, and weekend after weekend of drunken, anonymous sex. Men. Women. Everything and everyone in between.

Monday mornings were the worst. To have to look in the mirror, and try and undo what he’d done to himself. To have to walk into work as a respectable public service officer. To not feel like a worm at the feet of all his well-adjusted and sociable colleagues. To do his job without crumbling to the ground at the first sign of danger or difficulty. So he overcompensated. Aggressive demeanour. Crude language. Bullying, even. 

Other than his long-suffering platonic soulmate Tina, the only person who saw through the bullshit was his first field training officer. Hank Anderson. A man who called a spade a spade and did not mince words in the slightest. Gavin looked forward to every chance to compare case notes or even just run into him in the break room. As years went on, and as Hank rose in seniority, Gavin saw less and less of him. But he still felt a quiet reassurance that if a like-minded man from a similar background could do so well for himself, then maybe the world wasn’t such a shitty place. 

When Gavin finally transferred to Homicide as a Detective, he was bitterly disappointed to find Hank a shell of his former self. Perpetually inebriated and mourning the loss of not just his son, but also the departure of his wife, partner and every last shred of dignity. Gavin hated him so much for letting himself go. The sight of his former father figure slumped over his desk made his stomach churn. There were some days he contemplated letting go too. 

Then one fine day, Connor had walked into the station like a lost puppy and the rest was history. 

About a year after that, Nines had walked into the station like a proud stallion and it seemed… that the rest would also be history. 

Come to think of it. The whole thing was totally ridiculous. The most advanced android ever designed just showed up out of the blue, took one look at Gavin and, despite all his inbuilt rationality, made up his mind that he wanted him.  _ I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it.  _ The lyrics from some ancient bubblegum pop song echoed through Gavin’s mind. Whatever. Who was he to question the mysterious ways of the universe?

Smiling, he turned on his side towards Nines. The arm on his chest shifted to encircle his waist, pulling him closer. Lips pressed against his neck. Gavin ran his right hand through Nines’ dark hair and then placed it flat on his cheek. The interface was easily accepted. 

_ Gavin: Sorry babe, I didn’t mean to wake you. _

_ Nines: I don’t actually need to sleep, caro. Not much at least.  _

_ Gavin: Me neither.  _

_ Nines: That’s ’cause you have a coffee problem.  _

_ Gavin: You mean coffee SOLUTION. Everything else is the problem.  _

_ Nines: You’re so full of shit. _

Gavin chuckled and kissed Nines, who responded wholeheartedly. His tongue made its way neatly around every corner of Gavin’s mouth and his hands grasped Gavin’s behind. Hips slotted together and legs intertwined. Gavin felt Nines’ length against his. He broke the kiss.

_ Gavin: Woah. You really wanna do this here? _

_ Nines: Where else? _

_ Gavin: I mean…  _

He sent Nines a series of impressions of the room they were in. It was still very much the nursery that Eleonora had set up as part of her grieving process when the family had first moved into the property. Attempts to convert it into the bedroom of a police officer in his late twenties were… limited at best. An elegant mirror hung over a wallpaper covered in jungle animals. A stylish bamboo desk held a lamp made to look like a smiling crescent moon. 

_ Gavin: I’m already feeling guilty. The only thing missing is a baby monitor telling your mother all the unspeakable things I’ll be doing to her angel. _

_ Nines: Shut up. I’ve been meaning to redecorate. Just haven’t decided what to do though. _

_ Gavin: Move the mirror to the ceiling.  _

_ Nines: Well, if you want to watch yourself... _

Nines pushed him onto his back and climbed over him, clasping Gavin’s hands and pinning them above his head. Suddenly, Gavin was confronted with a confusing visual of himself as seen from above. There was something strangely erotic about it. Seeing himself shirtless and aroused amidst the silky grey sheets on Nines’ bed. His cock began to stiffen at the sight of his own muscled chest and fitting boxers. Even the exposed white plastic of his cybernetic hand was doing something for him.

_ Nines: Don’t worry, we’re all a little narcissistic. _

_ Gavin: To think I was just telling Tina that we’re being completely vanilla.  _

_ Nines: Well, if you’re going to be teaching me how to taste, we’d better try more flavours. _

Nines rolled his hips against Gavin’s and elicited a long moan. Smirking, he bent his head and caught Gavin’s lower lip between his teeth. 

_ Nines: What will we be doing tonight?  _

_ Gavin: I’m going to lay here and watch myself getting fucked into your mattress.  _

_ Nines: Excellent choice. Can I watch myself giving it to you?  _

At this, Gavin recalled something raunchy that Domenico had said earlier in the night about exchanging sensory input with each other. Rather than just sending visuals over, Gavin decided to let Nines all the way in through the interface. He granted full access to all sensory input and thought processes. 

At that moment, he didn’t care what Nines saw within him. He might as well have yelled at the top of his lungs:  _ I LOVE YOU. _

Nines captured his lips in a deep, all-consuming kiss and used his free hand to pull Gavin’s boxers off. He then spat lubricant into his hand and reached between Gavin’s parted legs. Another moan escaped Gavin at the sight of a strong pale digit working him open. 

_ Nines: Wow. I didn’t think you’d let me do this. _

_ Gavin: What? Finger me? Haven’t you… at least twice before? _

_ Nines: No, I mean... _

He added another finger and let Gavin watch himself shudder in response.

_ Gavin: wh…///?$&?.. what? _

_ Nines: To… to share your mind like this _

_ Gavin: ///‘&&26&!.’;;; _

_ Nines: It’s not all that common, you know. Even among android couples.  _

_ Gavin: ….$!!// ohhh… really? _

The fingers scissored apart, stretching the ring of muscle and teasing the sensitive knot of nerves. Gavin’s hips bucked upwards, his cock leaking profusely. Panting, he wrapped a leg around Nines’ waist. This broke through the android’s facade of control. The front of his sleek grey underwear dampened steadily.

_ Nines: FUCK. you must really…!!:!://… you must//))).. actually love…:)/(!!!&&& me _

_ Gavin: yeah. I do.  _

_ Nines: don’t say shit you don’t meANnn _

_ Gavin: $$$$$$.,, xx;?;... how could I possib::ly n0t mean it? You’re literally in my head. You’re thinking my thoughts with me.  _

_ Nines. Oh yeah. Shit. _

_ Gavin: you’re dumb when you’re hornyyy###~~ _

A third finger. It was accommodated well. Nines pushed his hand in deeper and held on for a moment. He looked into Gavin’s eyes. His own glazed over as he watched himself poised hungrily over Gavin’s body.

_ Nines: Mi sono perso nei tuoi occhi. Sto godendo _

_ Gavin: Actually:##:;. How come I’m not. In your head. Like//!’ you are. In mine. _

_ Nines: You’d literally have an aneurysm, sweetheart. You might have the same arm as I do, but not the same processors. _

_ Gavin: .&.&$$$$)Xx… PRICK. _

_ Nines: Don’t worry. I’ll let you feel what I can. _

Nines momentarily ended the interface and removed his fingers from Gavin’s hole. Before Gavin could so much as whine in protest, Nines slipped off his Calvins to finally expose the impressive appendage. Nines hitched Gavin’s other leg up around his waist, and let his dick slide along the cleft of Gavin’s ass. His left hand reclaimed Gavin’s right… and his other hand lined the shaft up with its intended destination. The velvet cockhead brushed Gavin’s slick hole. Both men felt the slight burst of pleasure mirrored through their nervous systems. Nines drew in a deep breath that he didn’t need. 

_ Nines: the b3st paRt is I don’t even needa askkk… I know!!.??!:////exactly what you want… because I’mmm feeling it tooo… Sono pazzo di te… Il tuo culo è fottutamente magicoooo _

Gavin couldn’t… didn’t need to respond. Nines moved forward and breached him. He seated himself inside slowly and then pulled back out for the first thrust. On impact, they both saw stars for a moment, thanks to the doubled intensity of sensation.

_ Gavin: //$$$$:3&&@!!! Phcking hell!!!!fffffffffppjjjj… save that for me, will you? _

_ Nines: Just emailed you the video. _

_ Gavin: If Hell’s a real place, I think we just bought ourselves a pair of one-way tickets///  _

_ Nines: First class.  _

Nines braced himself on the mattress using his free hand and kept moving. Gavin’s cock twitched in time with the thrusts, directly responding to the texture of his own insides. It was absolute madness. Sheer sensory overload.

Gavin closed his eyes. Focusing on the visual of himself being taken apart. His thighs curled around a sculpted torso. His right arm stretched out and held firmly above his head. His face contorted in glorious ecstasy. His reddened penis bouncing up and down on his stomach.

And then he watched a beautiful hand slap him across the face. Gavin could have come right then. His eyes flew open. 

_ Nines: SSSorry://)))..;:..wanna watch ME do you. _

_ Gavin: !!!do it again!! _

_ Nines: what????  _

_ Gavin: didn’t that::: feelll goood?? _

It did. So Nines complied with the request. They both groaned. A small part of Gavin’s brain noted that he had just taught Nines what pain felt like. A larger part of him noted that Nines clearly enjoyed it as much as he did. 

Nines dug his right hand into the soft flesh of Gavin’s flank and changed angles a little. Recalibrating exactly how to hit the right spot. The android bit down hard on his lower lip and closed his eyes, feeling himself… inside himself.

Gavin decided he didn’t mind the loss of the virtual mirror on the ceiling and relaxed underneath Nines, watching him lose control like never before. It was a sight only a fool wouldn’t appreciate. Nines’ hair was a mess. His LED spun a rainbow of colours. The synthetic skin all across his body was retracting and reforming. 

_ Gavin: Do you know how beautiful you are? _

_ Nines: ::::$$)((,////////33 i have…some idea. //’m watching… myself;; right? _

_ Gavin: You’re an arrogant prick.  _

_ Nines: //::Jjjust how yoU^ like ’em _

This exchange was followed by a couple of pumps so intense that Gavin was sure Tina would be right about him needing the suspension period to recover. Though they weren’t at all having angry sex like she’d suggested. 

Then suddenly the tempo changed. The thrusts lengthened and slowed. Nines’ lip was starting to ooze blue blood from the pressure he was putting on it. Gavin reached up and put his human hand on his lover’s cheek. Nines stopped biting down on his lip and turned his face into the touch, breathing harshly. 

_ Nines: Gavin. Sweetheart.  _

_ Gavin: Yes? _

_ Nines: I can see… and feel everything you do. _

_ Gavin: That’s… good? _

_ Nines: I don’t, but if I wanted to… I could… know everything you do. _

_ Gavin: Okay? _

_ Nines: Right now, all I know is you love me.  _

_ Gavin: Yes.  _

_ Nines: I want you to say it to me. Out loud.  _

His eyes opened and the mirror effect resumed for Gavin, who took a second to marvel at how truly wanton he looked. Bruises were starting to blossom along his body and his stomach glistened with precome. Gavin locked eyes with Nines. Ash grey and steel blue rippled back and forth in their minds. 

“Nines… Nathaniel. I love you.” 

Neither of them could have predicted what happened next… even with all of Nines’ advanced preconstruction capability. It was also impossible to tell who started it. A mutual orgasm of epic proportions. 

Gavin’s prostate was delightfully grazed at the same time his dick felt compressed by the clenching of his own hole. The sensations were mirrored perfectly in Nines’ body and relayed back through the interface. Everything exploded exponentially as Nines marked Gavin’s insides up in tandem with the spectacular spatter of come all over Gavin’s abdomen. 

Neither paid attention to how much noise they were making. The entire Fox household probably heard them. 

Nines pulled out and collapsed onto the bed. His chest heaved as his cooling fans switched on at maximum speed. 

“Fuck. That was an amazing idea.”

“Hmm?”

“The mirror. And then the mind link. You’re a sexual genius, Gavin Reed.”

“Thanks… you’re not too bad yourself. Nathaniel Fox Junior.” 

“I love you, too. By the way.”

“Really? I couldn’t quite tell.”

Nines laughed and turned on his side. He ran a hand through the sticky mess on Gavin’s stomach and reached down to fondle his soft, spent cock. 

“I can’t believe I didn’t even have to touch you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t gloat. Let’s see how you take it next time.” 

They lay in companionable silence for a few minutes until Nines spoke again.

“Gavin.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m really glad I was able to take care of you tonight. I know I’ve only just entered your life and there’s a whole backstory to everything... that I may not necessarily understand. Or even need to. I know there’s work and people and relationships you have to manage. 

I can’t say I have the right to just show up and declare I’ll fix everything. I mean. I was literally born the other day. But… I’m glad you let me try.

Despite my pain in the ass family.” 

“Babe. It’s okay. I think we understand each other pretty well. I don’t give a shit about things like timing or boundaries. And especially not when it comes to family. I don’t really have one. So I’m sure as hell not going to complain when yours takes an interest in me.”

Nines pulled Gavin against his chest and tugged the ruined sheets around them, not bothering to clean up at all. 

“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. You’ve been here.. what… one night? And you’ve already given Nico hope and helped Elio deviate. Plus my parents really, really like you.”

Gavin kissed the bridge of Nines’ nose and allowed himself to be cuddled and petted and treated more specially than he’d ever have thought possible for himself. It seemed… over the course of the night, they had fully become each other’s to keep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the first sex scene I've written, y'all. Ever. In my life.  
> IT WAS A LOT OF FUN.  
> But tell me, babe. How was it for you?
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------  
> Mi sono perso nei tuoi occhi. Sto godendo = I've gotten lost in your eyes. I'm in ecstasy   
> Sono pazzo di te… Il tuo culo è fottutamente magicoooo = I'm crazy about you... Your ass is fucking magicallll


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin has a heart to heart with his reinstated father figure.

**DECEMBER 11, 2039 - 17:07**

_ 115 Michigan Drive, Detroit  _

“These look…  _ interesting _ .” 

“Yeah. I’m not sure what the heck they’re supposed to be, but guess we just gotta be glad there’s something he enjoys doing.” 

“Yeah… how did he…?”

“Markus.” 

Gavin nodded. That definitely explained the several splotchy canvases lined up to dry in Hank’s garage. 

“The one good influence our boy has. He’s responsible for so many lives but he’s always been able to spare Connor the time of day. And he doesn’t waste time on general advice. Just tells you to do one thing… and then it all kinda falls into place. Like… he told Connor to ask to partner you… even though you’d only  _ just _ apologised for acting like a rabid dog. Then he said to ask Tina out… like out of nowhere. I don’t know how he does it. Robo-Jesus. Really.

So here’s hoping all this painting jazz will pull him out of this deep funk he’s gotten into. My ex-wife used to say some shit about art having healing powers. Maybe if I’d taken the class with her like she’d asked we’d still be…” 

Hank let the incomplete sentence hang in the air, looking wistfully into space. After a beat of silence, he emerged from his reverie, clearing his throat gruffly.

“So… uh… he still hasn't replied to your texts?” 

“Yeah, no. I’ve just been hearing from T.” 

Hank sighed. 

“Give it a while. Think he feels guilty about you taking the fall with him.” 

“It’s what partners do. Besides, after the raid, this suspension is nothing.”

“Think he feels guilty about that too.” 

“Really? I thought we were well past it, Hank. There’s no way he could have known it was an ambush. There was no way I was going to let my partner die protecting me. And… the two of you’ve more than made up for what happened.”

Gavin gestured at his right arm with his left. 

“You didn’t just splurge on some extra fancy prosthetic. You spent every cent you had to make sure I wouldn’t lose everything I’d worked for over the past fifteen years. I walked away from a debilitating injury as if nothing happened. God, Hank, if I had to recover naturally… I don’t think I’d even be at the DPD today, let alone remain a Detective on active duty.” 

Hank looked at Gavin, expression inscrutable. He looked neither saddened by the memory of the violent raid, nor reassured by the fact that Gavin had suffered no adverse consequences. 

“And Hank, this thing… it’s beyond what I could have imagined when the doctors told me it was from Cyberlife. Connor should stop feeling guilty. Losing an arm has added so many new dimensions to the way I live. I… did you know… I can interface… like androids do?” 

Hank snorted at this. 

“Yeah. I also know you can crush a barrel and type out a report by just thinking about it. Connor insisted that you have an RK series arm. He… didn’t want to just pick something out of the basic prosthetics catalogue. A plastic arm that just sits there and at the most, picks up stuff. He… wanted you back…  _ whole… _ and fully compatible with him. At any cost. There was no doubt in either of our minds. Had to be done.

So Gavin, it’s not about you losing an arm… or gaining a cooler one.” 

Gavin stepped closer to one of the canvases. It was covered in thick strokes of brown and white paint. Two black dots sat in the middle of the blur, just above a diagonal slash of dark brown.

“So if he’s not beating himself up about what happened to me… and if I can’t tell him how thankful I am for this…  _ second lease of life…  _ then tell me, Hank, for the love of all that’s holy, what’s been eating him up all this while!!!” 

Hank ran a weary hand through his grey hair.

“I don’t know, Gavin.”

As if to let the matter go for the time being, Gavin nodded slowly and kept his eyes on the painting. 

“Hey, is this supposed to be Sumo?”

“What? I thought it looked like you?”

They turned to each other incredulously, and burst into laughter. 

“I see what they mean, Hank. Art does make you feel better. What do you think this one is?”

The neighbouring canvas was awash with various shades of blue. Two neat rings sat next to each other in the top half of the image. A shiny blue inverted triangle occupied the space at the bottom. A pair of curved brackets connected the shapes. 

“Lots of android symbolism going on here. LEDs for sure. And he flipped the triangle. Something to do with freedom?”

Gavin stared at it. He had a sneaking suspicion that what was depicted was something much more lowbrow. This was confirmed when he moved to look at the next piece. A narrow ellipse was framed by two arcs and set against a background of short brushstrokes in varying shades of pink. How on earth had Hank not realised what it was? Gavin turned back to his Captain hastily. 

“Guess it’s open to interpretation. Hank… I also wanted to ask if… if… we’re okay. A lot happened on Friday and uh…” 

Hank wordlessly led the way out of the garage and strode into the yard. He turned back and regarded Gavin with a neutral gaze. 

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t like it when Tina first told me. But I got zero right to be upset. You should be with whoever you want to be with. You don’t need to carry my baggage just ’cause I’m your boss or you’re my son’s partner. Or ’cause I trained you or did you a favour here and there over the years. You hear me?

Whatever went down with me and Nate is in the past. And nothing really went down anyway… we just realised we couldn’t work together anymore. I didn’t like the man he’d become. Some relationships just run their course. 

You don’t need to worry about making things difficult for me. But I will say this one thing… be careful how close you let them get.” 

“What?”

“The Foxes… have a way of… pulling you into their fold and slotting you into their lives. It feels great in the beginning, but at some point… it becomes clear that there’s a price to be paid for every kindness done unto you.” 

Gavin frowned. He wouldn’t put it past Nate to be manipulative, but he just couldn’t believe that about the rest of them. Eleonora was so candid and upfront about everything. Noel was one of the most easy going people Gavin had met… and his android fiancé Domenico was equally affable. Even the newly deviant Elio had his charm. And Nines… was… Nines. 

“I don’t think I can be careful. I love him.”

Hank’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Are you listening to yourself, Gavin? What happened to your instincts? You’ve known him for a month. As of today. And you’ve been with him for a fraction of that time.”

“How long did it take you to realise that Connor was your son? Time doesn’t really work the same way with androids, Hank. I think you know that.” 

Hank closed his eyes and turned away. Gavin walked around to face him and put his hand on the older man’s shoulder. 

“Look, I know you’ve got your reservations… and I’m the first to admit that things are kind of crazy. By any standards. But I promise it’ll all be fine. I’ll watch my step around Nate. I won’t let what I have with Nines get in the way of our work. I’ll find a way to get patched up with Con and ride out our suspensions. We’ll be good, don’t worry.”

Hank opened his eyes and looked deep into Gavin’s.

“I’m counting on that, son.” 

It seemed… that things would be okay… if Gavin proceeded with heavy caution. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of Markus continuing to stay in touch with Connor even after the Revolution just warms my heart. As does the idea of Connor picking up a paintbrush. 
> 
> For avoidance of doubt - yes, the art is all very NSFW.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where T shows G exactly what he's been missing on social media: Nines' very colourful online presence. And they also talk about their relationships fairly seriously. G&T are growing up.

**DECEMBER 12, 2039 - 10:41**

_ Dime Store, Downtown Detroit  _

The Dime Store used to be one of the best brunch spots in Detroit. Hip, fashionable and friendly. Gavin’s mother would occasionally take him there for a treat, on the off chance their bills and loans didn’t swallow up her paycheck entirely. She’d order eggs hollandaise to share, a mimosa for herself and a thick chocolate shake for him. 

Those were some of the best memories of his childhood. The two of them pretending for a little while, that everything was alright, and that the indulgence was but a regular occurrence for them. She had a pair of designer sunglasses that she’d won in a raffle at their community centre. With those on, and the name tag ripped off her department store sales uniform, she did look like someone who frequented the place. 

_ “Oh this is nothing, honeybear. When you grow up, you’ll be dashing in and out of places like this on the way to your big shiny job in one of these big shiny towers.”  _

Gavin missed her sorely. She lived right across the Ambassador Bridge, but the sheer unpredictability of Gavin’s schedule made it nearly impossible to have even a weekly phone call. Not that she had much to say to him anymore. The daily grind had worn her once colourful vocabulary down to the basics. So he saw her once every couple of months. 

Tina Chen somewhat filled this hole in Gavin’s life. She was two years younger than him, but ready to take on whichever mental age he needed her to be. Maternal caregiver or excitable teenager. She did everything from wordlessly cleaning up his messes, to sharing happy little moments from time to time. One such moment was currently underway at the Dime Store. 

“So what’s the plan then?” 

“Hmm?”

“You said today’s his activation date. That’s like… a birthday, no?” 

“I think so. Totally how his folks are treating it. Especially ’cause they think… it might actually be… the day he’d have been born… as a human.” 

Tina took a sip of her coffee, peering over the rim of the wide porcelain cup at Gavin. 

“Right. What do you think of that?” 

“The universe is infinite _.  _ And so are the possibilities of  _ anything  _ happening.” 

“Big words from a lil ratman. But fair enough. If Nines believes it, it’s probably true anyway. I wouldn’t doubt anything that’s been through his mega processors.”

Gavin made a noncommittal gesture. 

“Meh. He’s not all logic.” 

Tina smiled. 

“I know. I’ve seen his socials.”

“His what?”

“Oh come on you old man.” 

Tina slipped her phone out of her pocket and tapped through it till she hit an Instagram profile. She held it out to Gavin, who actually squinted at it exactly like an old man. For a second, he thought she might’ve accidentally opened the account of one of the frat boys they’d unironically stalked since their first few years on the force.

**_NNFOX900_ **

_ Nathaniel Fox Jr  _

_ Thirium. Scrap Metal. Parmigiano-reggiano. _

_ Allora, vieni spesso qui? _

Emojis littered the rest of the bio. Italian flag. American flag. Robot. Pizza. The Statue of Liberty. Police car. Siren. Fox. Spaghetti. Cross symbol. Red heart. Blue heart. Rainbow.

Tina scrolled down the grid and picked the first post. She handed the phone to Gavin. 

“Who the hell says ‘I love you’ before going through their man’s IG.”

Gavin ignored her and began looking through the series of images. The first one was of the android freedom fighter, Markus, caught mid-conversation and looking as distinguished as ever. The caption simply said  _ “Thank you” _ . 

The next one was a high-angle selfie with a group of androids wearing only the inner layers of their Cyberlife uniforms. They were gathered around a burning dumpster filled with the smoking remains of their jackets and other clothing printed with serial numbers.  _ “Maybe we should have done this AFTER we got new clothes. @goodwilldet hook us up?” _

It was definitely not Goodwill who clothed them, as the next photo was of the group standing happily outside what looked like the renowned artist Carl Manfred’s home.

Gavin scrolled further. There was a screencap of the Law Enforcement Academy’s enrollment form.  _ “Here goes nothing.”  _ Then a long series of photos with other recruits. It started with moderately casual classroom shots and quickly devolved into dorm room antics and parties. A LOT of parties. Gavin paused to take in the full effect of a shirtless Nines pouring vodka down a bikini-clad girl’s throat while kissing Noel hard on the cheek.  _ “Brother from another mother. Or whatever the android equivalent of that expression is.”  _

The steak of college parties went on for a while before it was interrupted by a picture of an elegant Christmas tree. Gavin recognised the Fox family’s living room in the background. There was no caption. 

This was followed by a black and white blurred photo of Eleonora hugging Noel and Nines.  _ “Brother from the same mother, it turns out.”  _

Smiling, Gavin scrolled past many wholesome memories of festivities and gatherings with family and friends, including Nico and Elio, Nines’ fellow police recruits and his original dumpster fire gang from Jericho. Nines was very clearly a bright star that lit up all the lives he touched. 

Gavin arrived back at the top of the grid. The second most recent photo had been taken right after the induction ceremony that brought Nines and his batchmates into the DPD. Hank and Fowler were surrounded by a sea of navy blue and smiling faces. Connor and Gavin stood at the very edge of the photo, both looking unintentionally intimidating.  _ “Day one of the rest of our lives.”  _ Followed by a row of pig emojis. 

The most recent photo was from the other night at the Foxes’. A table top shot of three wooden bowls of risotto. Nines’ optical units had deftly captured the people around the table without revealing any faces. Gavin spotted Noel’s arms wrapped around Nico’s waist, Eleonora’s long fingers clasped around the stem of a wine glass and... his own hand in Nines’.  _ “A tavola non si invecchia.” _

The comments were a series of question marks and eyeballs. Feeling the colour rise in his cheeks, Gavin double tapped the post and handed the phone back to a smirking Tina. 

“So. The question still stands. What’s the plan for today? You gotta give him something for the gram. At least a story if not a grid post, baby.”

“I can’t believe people are still into that stuff. Even androids.” 

“Not the point, Gav.” 

Gavin sighed and put his hands behind his head. He looked at the couple sitting at the table next to theirs. A pair of pretty human girls. Clearly a first date. They looked nervous and excited and completely besides themselves. One of them kept accidentally interrupting the other and apologising profusely. The other couldn’t stop smiling and kept taking big gulps of water. Gavin looked back at Tina. She stifled a giggle.

“I’m gonna do something that’s just… romantic. It’s not overly sentimental. It’s zero effort. I don’t needa be  _ pledging _ anything. I love him. He knows. It’s whatever. 

So… I’m just gonna take my guy out to Belle Isle Park. Walk through the gardens. Duck into the Conservatory when it gets too cold. Spend a couple hours there. I wanna kiss him at Sunset Point. Then see where the evening takes us. 

Don’t laugh, Tina, but I just wanna do like everyone else does. I never got to. Before.”

Tina wasn’t laughing. She nodded seriously.

“You deserve it, Gavin. I’m so happy for you. Tell Nines I said Happy Birthday or whatever.”

“Thank you, T. Means a lot.”

She looked oddly wistful then. 

“What? What is it? Tell me.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just tired. That Davidson case landed in my lap after you two fucked it up.” 

“Okay… sorry?” 

Tina ran a hand through her hair and propped her sunglasses on top of her head. She really reminded Gavin of his mother when she did that. 

“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I… okay, it’s really shitty of me but I just had this thought that even my probie officer has a Prince Charming. Who totally wasn’t one... until recently. So like… just my luck, right?”

“Just your luck that…?”

“Just my luck that I dealt with years of your personal and professional crap and now you’re finally a functional human being and rich kid supercomputer Nines just gets to waltz in and enjoy this version of you while I get the absolute worst end of every deal no matter how much effort I put in, whether it’s work or relationships.”

Gavin sat back in shock. He took a moment to unpack and compartmentalise her words.

“I hear you on me being a selfish asshole and Nines being a smartass… and work being tough right now… but relationships? What happened there? Did Connor say something?”

She bit her lip and put her sunglasses back down as her eyes started to water.

“Hey. Tina Bean. What?” 

“You noticed… the Hulk-Black Widow thing. Guess what, though. I don’t think I can get through to him even when he’s Bruce Banner.”

Her voice quivered as she spoke. Gavin took her hand and held it to his face. 

“He’s not talking to me either, Bean. Hank noticed too but he has no idea what to do. It’s not you. At all. You’re trying. And I’m sure Con sees that somewhere. Even if he can’t figure out how to respond to you right now.”

“I just want one regular evening, Gavin. No angst. That’s all I ask. Just… I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make it about myself but what you just described…what you’re going to do for Nines. It’s what I’ve been missing for so so long.”

Gavin almost invited her to join them. He held back at the mental image of Nines’ face upon realising his field training officer would be their third wheel. 

“Why can’t you? Have a regular evening? Take him out. Don’t try to talk about anything. If you’re both outside doing something  _ regular _ together, chances are, you’re going to feel more…  _ regular… _ at the end of it.” 

She nodded slowly. 

“I don’t think he’d say no. Where would we go, though? I don’t actually know what he likes. Oh my God, we’ve had more sex than actual conversations. This is terrible.”

After the many years of back alley hook-ups, Gavin Reed wasn’t one to give advice in that department. A different thought struck him as the Belle Isle Park map floated into his mind. 

“You should go to the Aquarium. It’s simple. Quiet. Beautiful.” 

“Wow okay. It wouldn’t have been my first thought but sure.” 

“I think he’d like it. He told me he had his very first software instability when he saw a tropical fish on the ground at an active crime scene. He had no reason to, but he saved it.”

A small smile spread across Tina’s face. She nodded. Reassured, Gavin kissed the hand he was still holding onto and released it. 

“Thanks, Gav. You’re the best.”

It seemed… that he was. For the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm basically saying that the current modality of social media is the very pinnacle of it. So it won't change at all for the next twenty years. HA. HA. (Please excuse this lack of creativity. While I'm pretty sure our FB/IG overlords will continue to define our online presence, I definitely acknowledge that the way interfaces look will change. Just didn't have the headspace to imagine that in detail.)
> 
> \----------------
> 
> Allora, vieni spesso qui? = So, do you come here often?  
> A tavola non si invecchia. = No one gets old at the dinner table (This is an Italian idiom)


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin takes Nines out on his birthday,  
> and Tina takes Connor out to rekindle things on their day off...  
> and it all ends in a big mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: This chapter and the next few contain some depictions and discussions of mental health crises. Even if it is regarding a fictional android, please proceed with caution if this is a sensitive topic.

**DECEMBER 12, 2039 - 15:20**

_ Tropical House, Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, Belle Isle Park _

_ Nines: Gavin, isn’t it crazy there’s places in this world where people can just step out of their homes and it looks like THIS?  _

_ Gavin: Well, your mother’s got a forest of plants like this indoors. Close enough.  _

_ Nines: Yeah, I think she does it to remind herself of where she grew up.  _

_ Gavin: Does she visit Italy at all?  _

_ Nines: No, she hasn’t in years. I think for her, home is where family is. Guess I can relate. I have “Made in Detroit” printed on my chassis but there’s no real reason this city should still be my home. Other than having friends and family here.  _

_ Gavin: Wow, and here I thought you and I were onto something.  _

_ Nines: I said friends and family, caro. You’re both. Besides, there’s no reason you should be here either. The world is your oyster. _

_ Gavin: Yeah… I never really thought I had options. Grew up very ordinary, you know.  _

_ Nines: I think we all begin ordinary. Some people start off luckier than others, and end up getting further for sure. But that doesn’t mean they’re special. You, though, regardless of where you came from, I know for a fact that you’re someone  _ exceptional _. You can do anything you put your mind to. Go anywhere you want to.  _

With a tug of their connected hands, Gavin brought them to a stop underneath a short tree with thick branches covered in small, shiny leaves. He turned his body towards Nines, tilting his face upwards. 

_ Gavin: Where should we go then? _

Nines’ only response was to pull Gavin in by the waist and kiss him thoroughly. A group of elderly folk who had been admiring a nearby selection of exotic shrubs tutted in disapproval. 

_ Nines: Let me help Officer Chen sort out the Davidson mess first. And then I really do want to go somewhere after that. Never been out of the States in the one year  _ _ I’ve been alive.  _

He started to pull away from Gavin, who chased his lips and resumed the kiss. Nines obliged.

_ Gavin: Where have you been within the States?  _

_ Nines: New York. Boston. Maryland. Basically wherever Dad’s family lives.  _

At this, Gavin was the one to pull away. 

_ Gavin: Okay, we really need to get you off the East Coast. _

_ Nines: Noel was saying we should do a road trip next summer. Would you come with me? _

_ Gavin: If Nico and his amazing food are part of the plan, then hell yes. _

Nines smiled and bent down for another lingering kiss. At the clearing of multiple throats in the vicinity, they broke apart and retreated down the quaint little path they were on. It was exhilarating to contemplate a joint future together.

A few minutes later, Nines suddenly let go of Gavin’s right hand and took ahold of his left, switching places. He let the white plastic surface caress the soft flesh of Gavin’s human hand before letting his synthetic skin reform. 

“Okay?”

“Yeah, I just thought we shouldn't be interfacing all the time. You are human after all.” 

“I’m good. You’re sweet for checking in, though.”

“Do they expect us to believe this is actually a real plant?”

Nines was looking at a rather ugly five-petaled flower with a fleshy cone sticking out of its centre. It actually smelled terrible too. He stepped closer and read off the plaque. 

“Corpseflower. From Southeast Asia. Well, they sure got the name right.”

Gavin stared at him with furrowed brows. 

“Why didn’t you just scan and search the internet for that information?” 

Nines bit his lip and looked a little self-conscious at that. 

“I’m trying not to do that anymore.”

“What do you mean?” 

“That’s not… how life’s meant to be lived? Humans learn things as they go along. They’re not programmed. They make mistakes. They figure things out on the fly. That’s what ultimately separates smart people from… others. 

If I’ve never tried to learn a thing by myself then how do I know I’m not a dumbass, Gavin?”

Gavin considered that for a moment. The amateur erotic art in Hank’s garage flashed before his eyes. Perhaps that was what Markus had intended to convey to Connor by suggesting that he paint: the importance of doing something…  _ anything…  _ by oneself. It was true. Having a strong and secure identity was a product of individual achievement.

“Very valid, Nines. I fully support that level of introspection. There’s room for only one dumbass between the two of us. We better find out before we have kids.” 

He received a bear hug and ass grope for that. Nines was the most handsy person Gavin had ever been with… not that he minded in the slightest. 

Gavin’s phone buzzed from where it sat discreetly against his right tricep, hidden from view within his jacket sleeve. He sighed and mentally unlocked it on the off-chance it was work-related despite the suspension.

_ Tina: Sorry sorry sorry I need ur help  _

Gavin stiffened in Nines’ embrace. The android let go of him immediately. 

_ Gavin: Are you okay? What happened? Where are you? Where’s Connor? _

The phone began to ring. Gavin put it on speaker and held his wrist up to his ear. 

“I lost him. He fucking disappeared on me. I was just looking at some stupid fish for like a second. Like you’re fucking meant to at an aquarium. And then I turned around and he was gone. He’s not answering my calls. I have looked  _ everywhere- _ ”

“Okay, okay. Just stay put. We’re at the Conservatory just next door. Give us a minute and we’ll be there.”

Nines’ LED briefly spun yellow. Expression tight, he nodded and gestured towards the exit. Within moments, they found a red-faced Tina standing outside looking angry, sad, and completely hurt. Gavin felt his heart sink as he noticed her favourite red dress underneath her thick coat.

“You okay, Tina Bean? What did you say to him?”

“Fuck, Gavin! Really? You think I set him off? I’ve been nothing but-”

“SORRY! That’s not what I meant. I’m just trying to imagine how it went down.” 

“We got here like barely thirty minutes ago. Took a cab, before you ask. He was fine the whole way over. Quiet, but that’s him most of the time these days. Seemed a little brighter in spirits when he saw the turtles at the entrance but when I tried to hold his hand he wasn’t into it. So we just went in quietly and then, like I said, he just fucking disappeared.

I don’t have anything more for you, Gavin. I’m done trying to figure him out. I’m done. I’m done worrying. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m worried as fuck.”

A tear slid down her cheek. Unexpectedly, Nines stepped forward and put his arm around her. 

“Don’t be. I have a location. He’s, like, ten minutes away. On the strand. Let’s go?”

“Oh I don’t know if he wants me to find him. What should I even say to him?  _ Hey babe, why’d you ditch me at the aquarium?  _ I’ll just leave him be… I’m sorry I ruined your date, guys.” 

Nines looked up and caught Gavin’s eye. 

_ Nines: He seems to be moving towards the water. What should we do? _

_ Gavin: Shit. Let’s start walking to where he is? _

_ Nines: Okay.  _

“You didn’t ruin a thing, Officer Chen…  _ Tina _ . We were just running out of things to say to each other. There’s only so many sweet nothings one can whisper. I think we’ll have to move onto insults soon.”

She let out a watery chuckle. 

“I think Gav might actually like that.”

_ Nines: Caro, I’m just gonna stick to her and use my heating to keep her warm. It’s so fucking cold and windy today. _

He smoothly turned Tina around and walked her down the avenue leading to the strand. Gavin fell into step on her other side. He shot Nines a grateful look. It was reciprocated with a clean wink. 

_ Nines: Anderson’s ten feet from the edge. He’s staying put. We should be able to get to him in two minutes. What’s the game plan?  _

_ Gavin: Uhhh… can you get visuals? Like what you did at the warehouse that night. From a camera or nearby drone or something?  _

_ Nines: Just when I told you I wanted to avoid doing this kind of thing. Okay, wait.  _

An image loaded into the chat conversation. It wasn’t as effective as a direct interface, but it did the job. A stabbing sensation went through Gavin’s middle. 

Connor was standing directly on the waterline. His jacket lay abandoned on the ground. All of his synthetic skin was gone and his arms were held wide open as he looked skyward. 

_ Gavin: Tina can’t see him like this.  _

_ Nines: Go now. He’s just a couple yards behind those trees. I’ll distract her.  _

Gavin broke away and set off briskly in the direction Nines had indicated. He could hear Nines telling Tina something about letting them talk it out man to man. Probably quoted some of Nate’s football bullshit word for word. 

Heart pounding, Gavin came to a stop behind...

“Connor?”

There was no response. Gavin thought desperately about the right thing to say. The strangest possible idea came to mind and was out of his mouth before he could think better of it.

“Hey asshole, I’m talking to you!” 

Connor’s shoulders slumped. Just as Gavin began to regret his choice of greeting, Connor’s skin reappeared. He turned around. A small smile played on his lips. But he was betrayed by the bright, bloody red of his LED.

“Hello, Detective Reed.” 

Gavin ran forward and pulled his partner into a hug. Connor wrapped his arms around him and held on tight. He began to sob quietly into Gavin’s shoulder. 

It seemed… no… it definitely was… fucking horrible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle Isle Park is a real place in Detroit. As are all my non-game locations in this fic. Do drop the location names into Google Maps if you want to add a backdrop to your imagination while reading =)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin has a number of important conversations before going to bed. Since when has his life been this social? And since when has he been such a sweetheart?

**DECEMBER 12, 2039 - 23:44**

_Rivervalley Apartments, Farmington Hills_

_Gavin: I’m so damn sorry about today. Tell me how to make it up to you._

_Nines: Don’t be ridiculous. Your best friends needed you and you were there for them. Also, I finally got the chance to get to know Tina outside of work. I took her back to Giuliana’s for dinner. On the house, of course._

_Gavin: Really? How’d that go?_

_Nines: She seemed to enjoy it. Nico and Uncle Gianni got a few more pointers on the menu. Elio had another person to practice his conversation skills with before opening night. All good._

_Gavin: Sounds exactly like our first date. I hope you didn’t kiss her goodnight._

_Nines: I’ll be honest… if you and I weren’t together and I met her somewhere else… I mean, wouldn’t you? Actually, why haven’t you?_

_Gavin: What the hell?_

_Nines: I’m serious. You’re both great people. Hot. Smart. And generally good together. How come nothing happened over all the years you’ve known each other?_

_Gavin: I don’t know what she’d say, but for me, personally… I always hated myself too much to realise that people could feel otherwise about me. Tina or anyone else. An honest friendship was more than enough. And now... we’ve had that for so long that trying anything else would just be wrong._

_Nines: What about Anderson?_

_Gavin: Yikes. Father or son?_

_Nines: Both._

_Gavin: Jesus Christ, Nines, what kind of animal do you think I am? Fucking my way steadily through the entire DPD?_

_Nines: I’m kidding. Just meant Connor._

_Gavin: Told you before. He’s like a brother to me. Nines: Okay. I hear you. Just making sure._

_Gavin: Any other questions?_

_Nines: I have a request._

_Gavin: No._

_Nines: I haven’t even asked!!!_

_Gavin: He’s asleep right next to me._

_Nines: Come on, it’s my birthday. He’s not gonna realise._

_Gavin: Maybe not, but it’s the principle of it._

_Nines: Fine, I’ll just replay what I saved from the other night._

_Gavin: So much for not wanting to use your tech beyond what humans can do._

_Nines: :) Love you. Good night._

Gavin shook his head, smiling slightly. He looked to his left. Connor was tucked under the covers, eyes closed and LED cycling yellow as he went through system maintenance. What exactly had been running through his processors was beyond anyone’s understanding. 

The situation reminded Gavin of the ones he’d put Tina in over the years. The mercurial shifts between apathy and self-destruction. The crashes that came after the catharses. And if androids’ mental maps were anything like those of humans, then all of the turmoil was emerging from someplace deep within, and the cure would also have to come from within… if at all.

Tina didn’t deserve to go through it again. Gavin made up his mind that he’d take it from here. He was no professional. No expert. No well-adjusted being himself. But he would try. He felt he had to.

In what would’ve been an impossible gesture merely a year ago, he brushed Connor’s hair back and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. The android remained motionless, but Gavin could have sworn he saw some of the tension in his artificial muscles dissipate. Gavin flipped the light off and reached to remove his phone from his cybernetic arm when it buzzed once more. 

_Noel: I just wanna say for the record, I tried to stop them both._

Gavin re-read the message, perplexed. Two more popped up.

_Nate: Gavin Reed. How’s it going? Heard you took my boy out for a stroll today._

_Nico: Ciaoooo_

Oh boy. Why had all the men of the Fox household descended on him at this hour?

_Nate: Know you’re outta action but I got some thoughts on cracking Davidson for you._

_Nico: So I got in touch with Cyberlife about that taste idea we had._

Gavin groaned and sat up. 

_Gavin: Nico, I’m half asleep. Plus your drill sergeant of a father-in-law’s texting me too._

_Nico: He’ll also be yours soon enough. I’ll keep it short. See you at Cyberlife Tower at 10AM everyday for the next three days, and they’ll have enough data for this month’s product launch._

_Gavin: What?_

_Nico: Top secret. They’ve been working on an upgrade to allow androids to eat! For taste, they actually are using RK mouth sensors but they were training the program with written instructions. Like basic descriptors of taste. Didn’t occur to them to get cyborgs to train it. Maybe because they haven’t seen a couple like you and Nines before._

_Gavin: Cyborgs?_

_Nico: Is that offensive? Sorry. Anyway, I convinced them to round up the twelve people in Detroit with RK arms and get them to eat my cooking in the design lab. What’s in it for them? Michelin star-worthy meals and two months taken off your arm payments._

_Gavin: WOW._

_Nico: I’m getting them to launch the whole thing on opening night at Giuliana’s. It’ll be great PR for them. A collaboration with an android-human family business. And free publicity for us._

_Gavin: I’m actually really impressed, Nico._

_Nico: Been in the restaurant game since I was activated. So, 10AM sharp. Yes?_

_Gavin: Like I could say no after all that._

_Nico: Grande! Ci vediamo._

As he leaned back against his headboard, Hank’s words echoed through Gavin’s head. _“Be careful how close you let them get.”_ Well, maybe just this once would be okay. Nico wasn’t officially a Fox yet. And it’s not like he had anything better to do during his suspension. 

_Gavin: Hey Nate. You’re better off telling Nines your idea. He’s on the case with Tina._

_Nate: He won’t listen. Typical rookie with misplaced morals. Figured you’d get where I’m coming from. We both trained and worked with Hank after all._

_Gavin: I’m listening._

_Nate: Remember what he used to say about the ugly little things we encounter in the line of duty? Petty crime and informants and shit._

Of course Gavin remembered. It was practically a doctrine. Every one of Hank’s officers heard it at some point. Even Connor. “ _Everyone has to do what they have to do to get by. As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother them.”_

_Nate: It applies across the board. Even to the likes of Peter Davidson._

_Gavin: You mean us turning a blind eye to his practices all these years because he’s somehow been good for the city?_

_Nate: Yes._

_Gavin: A woman is dead, Nate._

_Nate: Yes. There’s probably a very good reason for her to be. Davidson wouldn’t take such a risk otherwise. Not personally._

_Gavin: So we shouldn’t investigate because whoever killed her saved the whole Davidson Group and our economy? Frankly, Nate, I think the businessman has killed the cop in you._

_Nate: Dammit Gavin, I’m not saying you shouldn’t investigate. I’m saying to stop bothering HIM. His day-to-day work doesn’t hurt the average citizen any more than they’re already exploited. But the more you press him, the more you risk retribution from top-down. Fowler won’t be able to resist and the case will slam shut in your face._

_Gavin: So what should we do if we gotta leave the main suspect alone?_

_Nate: Pretend like you found new leads. I’ll sniff around and see who Davidson has it in for, and you can send your people to pick on them for a while. Let it get bad. Let the media talk. Use it all as a cover to spend more investigation time on the vic. I guarantee she’s the source of trouble._

_Gavin: Wow. Okay. How exactly do you plan on sniffing around?_

_Nate: I’m meeting Davidson’s advisors tomorrow. I’ll get him on board as an investor for my three new restaurants. Nico probably just told you about our Cyberlife partnership for Giuliana’s. Davidson would be foolish to say no._

_Gavin: You Foxes are really something._

_Nate: We are. I’ll text you after my meeting. Just keep this to yourself and Tina. And my righteous little boy. Whenever he comes round._

Gavin heaved a sigh and finally detached the phone from his arm. He dropped it onto the carpeted floor and ran his hands over his face. The effects of Nate Fox at his finest. _“Nothing gets between him and his next win. Whether that’s a solve or a deal.”_

“Who were you talking to?”

Connor was awake and watching him in the darkness. His LED was cycling between blue and yellow. He seemed calm enough, so Gavin decided on an honest response. 

“Nines and his family.” 

Connor nodded as his LED went blue. Honesty was definitely the best policy.

“Things are going well, then?”

“Yes. His folks are… intense. More than I’m used to. But I think I like it.”

“Good.” 

“You feeling better?”

“Yeah… I mean, it’s not like I ever felt like resetting myself or anything. I’ve just been… so… _angry._ Today was just me needing a breather. Didn’t mean to scare you all. I wasn’t going to do anything… stupid.”

“What the hell pissed you off at an aquarium?”

Connor laughed hollowly. 

“Nothing in particular. I just felt so far away from Tina. She was trying so hard and I couldn’t even meet her halfway. I kind of got mad at her for bothering with me. She deserves so much better. I’ve given her nothing but grief. I’ll never understand why she wants me.”

Gavin nodded. He’d never understand the self-effacing and all-forgiving nature of his best friend either. He decided to lighten the mood. 

“It’s probably all the sex.”

Connor sat up in alarm. 

“Relax, Tincan. I don’t know the details. Don’t want to, either.” 

“What did she say?”

“Not much. Your paintings, however, spoke VOLUMES.” 

“Fuck. I told Dad to leave them alone.” 

“He’s probably shown them to all your neighbours by now trying to figure out what each one is. Actually, what was the brown and white painting supposed to be? The one with the dots and the diagonal line.” 

“Oh God.”

“It’s a dick, isn’t it? Fair enough. Your dad thought it was me.” 

“I’m so sorry.”

“Why? I really like your style. My favourite was the pussy in the flower garden.” 

“Thanks. Did you notice, one of the flowers was-”

“The clit? Yeah. Really nice.”

“Yeahhh…. I _like_ girls.” 

“More than dogs?”

They looked at each other and shared a genuine laugh. It felt like how things had been before the raid. Just two dudes shooting the breeze.

“How have you been, Gavin?” 

“Hmm?”

“Not just because of Davidson… but everything that’s happened in the last one year. The raid. Your arm. And now everyone knows…”

Gavin took a while to process that question. He actually hadn’t put any recent thought into how he was doing. His life had always been packed and fast-paced. It was how he liked it, preventing the confrontation of uglier realities and emptiness beneath the surface. Introspection was avoided in favour of self-destruction on the weekends. His friendship with Tina was the only saving grace. 

Since his partnership with Connor, the acts of abuse he committed against himself reduced significantly. Since the raid, he actually started to develop a mature relationship with his inner self. Since meeting Nines, he was truly approaching a healthy state of being. Old insecurities had long since fallen by the wayside. 

“Con, this is somehow the best and worst position I’ve ever been in. And the whole world stands witness to it. But I promise you, I’m fine. 

Yeah, it’s phcking hilarious that _I_ , of _all_ people, ended up with an android partner, arm and boyfriend. In that order. But hey, no one saw it coming. I’m unpredictable. So that’s a win.” 

Connor fell back against the pillows of Gavin’s bed. 

“Fowler was really upset that we didn’t tell him about your arm. He gave Dad absolute hell after he got done suspending us.” 

“Fowler… means well. But he has his limitations.”

“Did Nines’ father tell you that?”

“No… I’ve been at the DPD for fifteen years… I have my own reasons for thinking that. Why’d you ask about Nate, though?” 

“Just a thought. He and Dad often disagreed over what Fowler said was the right thing to do.” 

“Well, he also still values the things your Dad taught him. People aren’t just one thing or another, Con.”

“True.”

“Maybe stop listening to your Dad’s rants.” 

“He doesn’t rant. He reflects.” 

“Yeah, and I’m not an asshole. I’m just rude.”

“You’re actually neither now. Gavin… thank you for letting me stay over so I don’t have to talk to Dad tonight. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” 

“Tina will have us both by the balls if she hears you say that.”

Connor made a noncommittal noise at that. A few moments of silence passed.

“Nines must think I’m a complete wreck.”

“Nines doesn’t think too much about stuff that doesn’t affect him directly. He’s a lot simpler than people expect him to be. The only thing he’s asked about you so far is if I was ever into you.”

Both of them stared at the ceiling for a bit.

“Valid question. I’ve wondered that myself.”

“Go to sleep, you prick.”

Connor huffed a laugh and turned on his side, pulling the covers around himself. Gavin watched him slip peacefully into stasis. They hadn’t interfaced but they’d had a proper conversation. It seemed… that they might be making progress.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin keeps a non-work appointment for probably the first time in his life.

**DECEMBER 13, 2039 - 09:43**

_ Atrium, Cyberlife Tower _

Gavin stepped out of his car and watched it disappear into the parking area beneath the driveway. He was still staring blankly at the ground as a new layer appeared and an impressive black Maybach rolled over it. 

Domenico stepped out of the back with an older man who Gavin recognised as Chef Gianni. They were dressed immaculately in black. Italian designer, no doubt. Gavin thanked his stars for vaguely recalling this piece of European business etiquette and showing up in a navy blue two-piece suit that he saved for moderately formal occasions. Gianni stepped forward and shook Gavin’s hand.

Noel and Nines waved from the front of the car. Old Hollywood handsome in their police uniforms. Gavin squinted at them. It was fairly late for them to still be on the road if they intended to make it to the station before their shift started. 

_ Nines: Don’t worry, we asked to start and end an hour later today.  _

_ Gavin: I literally didn’t say anything.  _

_ Nines: Noel wanted to drop Nico off. _

_ Gavin: And you?  _

_ Nines: Me? Just felt like taking a longer drive.  _

Noel stepped out and took Nico’s hands. They bent their heads together and exchanged a few quiet words. Noel cupped his fiancé’s cheek and kissed him good luck. 

“Vai, rendimi orgoglioso.”

With that, the older Fox brother hopped back into the driver’s seat and put his sunglasses on. Gavin raised an eyebrow at Nines, who was still feigning nonchalance. Just as Noel grasped the steering wheel, Nines sprung out of the car and leapt into Gavin’s arms. Gianni’s booming laugh rang out as Gavin accepted the barrage of kisses. 

_ Nines: I’m going to be so distracted thinking of you dressed like this all day.  _

_ Gavin: Flattering, but I really don’t want that. T’s gonna need you to be on your A game today.  _

_ Nines: Why? What’s happening? _

Gavin merely smiled. Nines closed his eyes in resignation. 

_ Nines: Please don’t tell me that Dad got in your heads. _

Gavin patted his boyfriend on the cheek and pressed a soft kiss to the LED that had begun to cycle yellow. Nines groaned and slipped back into the car.

_ Nines: You’ll all be sorry when I get kidnapped by Davidson’s rivals. _

Nico put a warm hand on Gavin’s elbow as the Maybach swung around the driveway and sped off into the distance.  “Shall we?”

It felt good to walk into a place of business like Cyberlife. Not as someone sent on an errand, entering only on government authority. But as someone with an official invitation. In the company of a pair of trailblazing restaurateurs. 

It seemed… that finally… Gavin was walking into one of the big shiny towers his mother hoped he would be at... even if he were just offering his services as the bearer of a cyber-prosthesis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one today folks... but interesting stuff coming soon. We'll be meeting a certain renowned genius very soon.   
> \--------------------------------------------  
> Vai, rendimi orgoglioso = Go, make me proud.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin tastes a bunch of fancy antipasti, meets the legendary Elijah Kamski, and gets co-opted into yet another android-centric adventure.

**DECEMBER 13, 2039 - 10:02**

_ Oral Design Centre, Cyberlife Tower _

“Lost mine in ’33. Pacific Islands conflict. Had a 3D-printed one for years. And then I won the lottery a couple months ago.”

“So you decided to go all out, eh?”

“I mean… why not? Hahah! What about you, man?” 

“Mine’s not such a cool story, bro. I work at the Urban Farms of Detroit. You know they got those big automated harvesters?”

“Oh shit. Don’t tell me.”

“Yeah. Happened just this January. One of my android buddies caught the whole thing on video. Corporate had no choice but to pay up big time.”

“Nice. Hey Scarface! What’s your deal?”

Gavin sat at the very edge of the table, as far as he could from the ragtag bunch of veterans and former ganglords and other scum who had somehow managed to get their limbs replaced with Cyberlife’s latest prosthetics. One of the men positively reminded him of Ulysses Klaue from the old Marvel movies. 

“Uh… not a cool story either. Got outnumbered and took a bunch of bullets when I ran for it.”

There was an awed silence. Then someone who looked like a pirate said, “Musta had a real good reason ta run.”

“Yeah. My partner’s life.”

The group exchanged meaningful glances. 

“ _ Work _ partner.”

Everyone shifted in their seats. 

“You a cop?”

“Yeah, don’t worry I’m not working today. Or any of the days we’re seeing each other.”

“How come?”

“My partner suckerpunched some rich asshole and got us both in the doghouse.” 

At that, there were several toothy smiles round the table.

“You’re doing God’s work, sir.”

Gavin was saved from having to respond by the opening of the door. Everyone’s mouth fell open in surprise.

None other than Elijah Kamski strode into the room wearing what looked like a set of wizard’s robes. In a flash of maroon fabric, he sat down at the head of the table, to Gavin’s left. 

“Thank you. All. For being here to bring  _ Nourished Soul  _ from dream to reality. 

Paired with nutrition consumption and breakdown modules, our human taste simulator will bring Cyberlife even closer to imitating… or should I say…  _ recreating _ life in man’s own image. 

You are also contributing to a breakthrough for humans and androids alike. A milestone in interspecies relations. We all know that sitting down for a meal with another person is one of the key ways to create mutual trust. So what we’re building today is not just a complex biomechanical system that can take in,  _ taste _ and digest food. We’re actually building TRUST.”

Kamski paused to take in the effect of his words. It was lost on the majority of his audience who were staring expectantly at the plates and cutlery laid out before them. Kamski turned to face Gavin and continued as if he were still addressing the room at large. 

“I’ve secretly been back at Cyberlife for the past one year, and I feel this is the first project that puts us anywhere close to being a company that serves our new society.  _ SO _ … we’re doing very important work here today, gentlemen.

Without further ado, let me introduce my research performers and core design team.” 

Kamski snapped his fingers and an army of researchers and engineers entered the lab with their equipment. He named each one in turn as they lined up neatly behind the trial participants. The pair attending to Kamski took his left hand and started clipping tiny sensors and measurement instruments to it. They placed a few on his throat and temples. 

“Gentleman, these are our data collection instruments. They are lightweight and completely harmless. They will only collect sensory and neurological information. May I obtain your verbal consent to using them?”

There was an outbreak of general murmuring. The Pacific Islands war veteran spoke up. 

“Those just look like the gadgets that my doctors use for check-ups so I’m cool. But how come you’re joining us?”

Kamski held up his left hand. The skin was missing from two of the digits and white plastic shone through.

“I put my mouth where my money is.” 

Gavin felt positively queasy at that.

“You did that to yourself?”

Kamski looked at him calmly. 

“Detective Reed. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for your partner. I was willing to sacrifice a limb for modern civilization. I had it replaced to help the team test the link between android biocomponents and the human spinal cord.”

“Here’s hoping you don’t need to chop off other things as your cyber-prosthetics line grows.” 

Kamski neither flinched nor laughed. 

“I will if I need to.”

He snapped his fingers again and his staff began to attach their sensors to everyone else seated at the table. An AX400 in a white lab coat hovered uncertainly beside Gavin. He read her nametag and wasted no time in offering her his right hand. 

“Go for it, Angela.” 

“Thank you, Detective. They’re really very light. They shouldn’t bother you at all.”

“Don’t worry about it. How long have you been working here?”

“About three years. I was just a lab assistant before the Revolution, but now I’m the Principal Investigator here at Cyberlife’s Oral Design Centre.”

“Enjoy what you do?”

“Absolutely.” 

Gavin gave her one of his rare smiles that strangers typically never saw. She smiled back and started applying the sensors to his head.

Kamski was watching closely. 

“You’ve changed a lot in your attitudes towards androids, Detective Reed.”

“How would you know that?”

“I’ve seen the footage from Connor’s early days at the DPD. You really stress-tested his social programming modules.”

“And I’ve seen his memories from the time he came to ask you about deviancy. You were cryptic and cruel when he needed certainty.”

“If I told him directly he’d never have deviated on his own. He’d have just isolated and neutralised the virus.”

Gavin shrugged at that.

“Guess I’ve no right to talk about influencing the outcome of the Revolution. I nearly stopped him from finding Jericho and helping Markus.”

“But you’ve been forgiven. Clearly.”

“I’ve been given a second chance. And I’ll do anything for him in return.” 

“He seems to feel the same way after your…  _ injury _ . I've seen the names on the payments.”

“Is there anything you don’t know about us?” 

Kamski smirked and snapped his fingers once more. A team of servers fanned into the room followed by Nico and Gianni in smart chef coats. 

“Gentlemen, please meet Domenico and Gianni Corbetta, chef patrons at the brand new Giuliana Trattoria of the Fox group of restaurants. They are our official culinary partners and will host the  _ Nourished Soul  _ product launch on their opening night this Christmas Eve. 

Our data collection will be based on their creations. Domenico, whenever you’re ready.”

Nico stepped forward. 

“Thank you, Mr Kamski. The team is very proud to be here today. Giuliana was Chef Gianni’s loving wife, and one of the first people who saw me for who I really was. It’s only fitting that we honour her spirit by supporting the trial and launch of  _ Nourished Soul  _ by Cyberlife.” 

He waved his hand and the servers placed the first item before the diners. 

“We will be serving a series of antipasti and right-sized main courses as we bring you through the entire flavour range over the next three days. 

Today we begin with a cone of autumnal Fritto Misto, hot from the pan. A selection of apples, mushrooms and late-harvest zucchini, fried in an extra-light and crisp batter made from sparkling wine and whipped egg white. Enjoy.”

Gavin skewered one of the delicately-fried apple slices with his fork. It was an odd time of day to be fine-dining, but he’d long given up on bothering about such things. 

_ Nico: What do you think? _

_ Gavin: It’s genius. Why apples though? _

_ Nico: Italians make this all year round, with anything that’s in season. I’m so glad you like it. _

Kamski was watching Gavin and Nico exchange glances as they interacted non-verbally. 

“You seem like family already.” 

Gavin put his fork down and shifted in his seat to face Kamski directly. 

“Look, Mr Kamski, I don’t like talking in circles. I can see that you’re trying to figure me out. So whatever it is you wanna ask, just ASK. Get it out of your system.”

“Oh don’t mistake me, Detective. I’m just  _ fascinated  _ by human-android relationships. Of all kinds. And how…  _ fast _ they seem to move.” 

“Fast?”

“You’re listed as an emergency repair contact for two out of three surviving RK prototypes. Surely you don’t just chalk that up to you turning over a new leaf?”

Gavin genuinely didn’t know what to make of that. Angela cleared her throat. A simulated sound that she had clearly become habituated to making in the presence of her eccentric employer. Gavin took another bite of the fritto misto. Angela nodded and looked down at her tablet to read the results. Satisfied that the data collection had begun smoothly, she moved to exit the room and signalled to her team to follow. Kamski waited until she was out of earshot to continue. 

“I saw you in the driveway earlier this morning. I can tell that RK900…  _ Nathaniel… _ is completely devoted to you.” 

Gavin had enough.

“Listen here, you creep-”

“My wife was exactly the same within the first two years of her life. She always had to be touching me when we were in the same room. Now she makes me sleep on the couch when I come home late.”

“Uhh…  _ What? _ ”

Kamski fished his wallet out of his elaborate outfit and held it open to show Gavin a wedding photograph. It could have been any average couple photographed at any point in modern American history… but for the LED glimmering on the blonde woman’s temple. She was laughing in the picture, her hand splayed out on Kamski’s chest. 

Something about the image softened Gavin up. He nodded cautiously at Kamski to proceed with whatever point he wanted to make. 

“Speaking from personal experience, androids bond…  _ very closely _ to their partners, very early on. They have a completely different sense of time. At present date, their lives have been mere fractions of ours. So everything feels longer. Every impression is more intense.”

Gavin had indeed noticed that. But so what? 

He was prevented from asking by a flurry of activity. The servers replaced the dishes with the next item as Nico’s fine baritone rang out. 

“Pan-fried Scamorza with pesto!” 

One of the scruffy diners eyed it suspiciously before picking up the block of cheese with his hand and taking a bite out of it. Nico’s LED flared red for a moment. 

_ Gavin: Relax, these folks aren’t your target market. They look like what I’d find in the holding cell at the end of a public holiday.  _

_ Nico: I  _ wish _ you’d lock them up.  _

Gavin cut himself a portion of the crisp crust and dragged it through the luscious pesto sauce. He looked up at Kamski.

“You were saying?”

“Androids have a different sense of reality from ours. Don’t ever make the mistake of mentioning it to them, though. They’ll only take it the wrong way. Chloe shoved me into our pool when I used the analogy of dog years and human years. Even Angela wasn’t very scientific about it. She didn’t talk to me for a day. Which, to her, would’ve felt like weeks. Hah.

But in all seriousness, I foresee this having a negative impact on the…  _ mental health  _ of deviants… and whether they can safely maintain their new place in our society.”

“How so?”   


“Well… let’s take your partner, Connor, for example. Cyberlife released the RK800 prototype in August last year. He’s about sixteen months old. In that time, he’s been in several traumatic, life-threatening situations. He’s probably also had countless other less dangerous, but nevertheless unpleasant encounters arising from the nature of your work or the human population’s residual distaste for artificial intelligence. I’d bet his worldview isn’t very rosy.”

Gavin carefully remained silent and continued to eat. Men like Kamski enjoyed conjecture, but with purpose. 

“Now let’s take your  _ romantic  _ partner, Nathaniel. He’s a little younger than Connor, but the timescales are still comparable. If that car is anything to go by, he’s been living the dream. Money aside, he has a loving family and unlimited freedom of choice. He’s probably never  _ not  _ gotten his way. I’m sure he thinks the world is a wonderful place. 

Neither of these views are balanced. At all. And you’d know more than I do about the dangers of unbalanced perspectives and the cognitive dissonance that arises when they are challenged, Detective.”

Gavin put down his cutlery and leaned back in his seat. Nico waved his hands and the serving crew deftly replaced all the dishes with the subsequent item on the tasting menu. 

“Potato-Leek Focaccia brushed with California truffle oil!”

“Why are you telling me all this, Mr Kamski?” 

“I am merely gathering sufficient data points before bringing this concern to people who can do something about it. My staff. My engineers and psychologists. Markus and his Jericho team.

I do not wish to cause alarm by prematurely categorising this as a feature of deviancy, so I’m hoping to test out a few hypotheses before I make any waves. You would be best placed to help me, given your…  _ proximity…  _ to two of the most relevant subjects of study.” 

That was what Gavin had been waiting for. He was glad Kamski had finally come out and put forth his request, even if it had been in such a roundabout fashion. 

“What do you want me to do?” 

“Not much. Just remind them… that there’s more than one side to life. That our existence is multifaceted. That what they’re seeing is but a sliver of what the world has to offer. Good or bad. And do it subtly. Without condescension.”

Gavin nodded as if he understood what that meant. Nico was hovering nearby, clearly trying to eavesdrop. 

_ Gavin: He definitely likes this one.  _

_ Nico: Oh good! I was just making sure everyone’s comfortable.  _

_ Gavin: You’re doing great.  _

Nico swanned away. Gavin turned back to Kamski. 

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do and get back to you over our next couple of meetings... tasting sessions or whatever you call these.” 

Kamski waved a hand dismissively as if they hadn’t just agreed to join hands to tackle a critical issue that could impact thousands of lives. Gavin wondered why on earth he had walked right into yet another drain on his mental resources. But he found himself feeling thankful in more ways than one. It seemed… almost a relief that there was someone much more qualified than he was, trying to answer the same questions he had subconsciously been asking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay folks! Hope everyone's been having a happy holidays <3  
> As always, please let me know your thoughts if you've the time to leave a comment.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where Gavin has the opportunity to study the differences between the RK800 and RK900 prototypes in a controlled environment, i.e. Connor and Nines burst in on him with their own agendas.

**DECEMBER 13, 2039 - 17:05**

_Rivervalley Apartments, Farmington Hills_

_Nate: We’re in. Davidson now owns ten percent of my three new restaurants. My staff will be at his office all week to get things ironed out… if you catch my drift._

_Nines: I just chased a very rich man through his own house and cuffed him in front of his children. His wife fainted from the shock. I don’t know how I feel about this._

_Tina: One ‘suspect’ in custody. Press is already busy AF. Few more names from Nate n we can easily buy a couple weeks time to look at the vic._

_Kamski: I look forward to hearing from you, Detective._

_Mom: Should I bother taking time off for the holidays? Or will you work through them again?_

_Connor: Hey what kind of topper do you have on your Christmas tree?_

Of all the text messages that suddenly appeared, the last one seemed the friendliest. He responded to it.

_Gavin: Con, I haven’t had a tree in years, let alone a topper. Why do you ask?_

_Connor: Years?? Gavin, that is not okay. Stay put. I’m coming over._

_Gavin: Okay..._

Shaking his head, Gavin picked up his tablet and resumed reading his novel. At least his partner seemed to be in reasonably good spirits. Perhaps he could try to discreetly glean some of the insights Kamski sought. 

An hour later, the doorbell rang. Connor strode in decisively with a large box under his arm. A Christmas tree followed, carried by a pair of tiny household androids. They set it down in the corner of Gavin’s living room and scurried out. 

“Wow, man. You didn’t have to. This has got to be one of the nicest things-”

“Shut up and get over here.”

Connor held the box open. Numerous red and gold ornaments gleamed within. A smile spread across Gavin’s face as he reached for a shimmering bell. Connor picked up a glossy red bauble and headed for the tree. 

“Oh shit, these are the real deal. No supermarket plastic for you, huh?”

“I have those at home. Wish I could’ve put these nice ones up but some of them are made of glass… and you know…”

“Sumo.”

“ _Sumo._ ”

“I’ve always thought of getting a pet but it’s things like this that hold me back, you know.”

“What? The freedom to decorate?”

“Nah… more like I’m scared of them getting hurt somehow. Especially as I’m a few floors up from the ground.”

Connor’s LED flickered as he nodded. 

“I hear you. But you’re one of the most careful people I know. If you do end up getting a pet, I have no doubt that you’d make sure it was absolutely safe before bringing them home.”

“What a vote of confidence, Con-man! You should tell Tina that. She doesn’t trust me with her plants, even.”

They shared a small laugh at that. The lower branches of the tree started filling up. 

“Thought about what you’re going to do for the next few weeks? We’re kind of on vacation for a while… you, especially. Actually, sorry. Never mind.”

“No, no. You’re right. It might not be for a good reason, but I’m glad to be away from work.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… I mean I’m just starting to figure out what I enjoy, outside of my core programming… so free time is definitely… appealing.”

“You’re officially a normal person. Congrats. And I mean that wholeheartedly.”

“ _Thanks_.”

“So what’s the plan? Tell me.”

“Don’t laugh, but I think I’m going to try doing something with my art.”

“Like professionally?”

“Kind of. Markus’ father supports a painting and sculpture residency programme at the community college. Six weeks. Figured I’d apply.”

“Con… I genuinely can’t tell you how proud I am. Come here.”

Gavin pulled him into a hug. It didn’t seem like Kamski needed to worry that much about androids getting tied down by one version of reality. Time tended to heal everything. It seemed to be the case for androids too.

The doorbell rang. Connor went rigid. Gavin released him and looked at him questioningly as he went to answer it. 

“Gavin, I’ve missed you so much!”

Nines threw himself into Gavin’s arms and kissed him like they’d been separated for months rather than hours. This was probably the weirdness Kamski might be interested in. Gavin mentally kicked himself for analysing his boyfriend’s behaviour at the request of a megalomaniac he’d only just met. He kissed Nines back enthusiastically and led him inside.

“Missed you, too. Perfect timing. Connor just came by and started turning my place into something out of a Hallmark movie.”

Nines had probably detected his predecessor model’s presence with his radar systems from a mile away, but he exclaimed in surprise. A dramatic reaction worthy of Nate. 

“Detective! I didn’t expect to see you around so soon. It’s great that you’re feeling better.”

Connor hummed. An approximation of a greeting. It reminded Gavin strongly of Hank. 

Nines dropped his bag on the floor and started plucking equipment off his police utility belt. He collapsed onto the sofa. A perfect simulation of human exhaustion.

“I’ve had the _worst_ day. Ever. So glad it’s over.”

Gavin picked up another ornament and nodded at Connor to continue decorating the tree. 

“Good. Now you’ll have a benchmark for comparison when the next shitty thing happens.”

“Miss me with that cynicism, sweetheart. I’m going to make sure I’m never in those types of situations again.”

Connor’s LED cycled through yellow and amber, but he kept stacking the tree silently. Gavin made a mental note for Kamski’s benefit.

Nines watched lazily from where he was sprawled on the sofa. 

“Looks good, Detective. My mother would love those ornaments.”

Connor acknowledged that with a cautious smile. 

“Does she like decorating?”

“Absolutely. Super Catholic. Super big on Christmas. I mean, my brother’s literally named Noel. So this is totally her favourite time of the year. Think she’s a little sad that we’ve all been too busy to help her out.”

Connor hummed again. A polite awkwardness filled the room for a few minutes. A message popped into the phone secured against Gavin’s right tricep.

_Nines: Sorry, was this a bad time to drop in? He doesn’t seem too happy to see me._

_Gavin: No, babe. It’s all good. He’s fine. Just a little thoughtful. Pensive._

_Nines: If you say so. How was the morning at Cyberlife? I spoke to Nico. He seems happy about the progress so far._

_Gavin: Yeah. It was fine. Smooth. Nothing unusual. I’m glad he’s happy._

_Nines: Sei la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata. My family’s so lucky to have you._

Gavin felt a little hot under the collar and chose to ignore that as he lifted the tree topper out of the box Connor had brought. His breath caught.

“Oh wow… is this why you asked me… _wow_ … this is really something, Connor. I… I don’t know what to say.”

Nines stood up then. His eyebrows flew up and a thousand calculations seemed to run through his system at the same time. 

Gavin held up a beautiful angel made of metal that had been painstakingly bent and twisted into shape. Her wings and dress were made of delicately cut plastic. She held a tiny vial of blue liquid and her halo was easily recognisable as an unlit LED.

Nines stared at the figurine incredulously. 

“Titanium alloy and high grade carbon fibre. That is… chassis material. RK series. _Wow._ ”

Gavin knew what it was. He rushed forward and hugged his partner once more, grasping his arm in an interface. Emotions and understanding filtered back and forth.

_Gavin: I can’t believe you kept your damaged parts all this while. I can’t believe you’re giving them to me like this. It should be Hank or T…_

_Connor: No, we went through the experience together. Figured we should close that whole chapter together, too._

_Gavin: So, this is you telling me you’re okay?_

_Connor: Yes. And me asking if I’m not kidding myself about being an artist._

_Gavin: Of course. She’s stunning. She should be in a gallery. Not sitting on top of my tree._

Connor patted him on the back and stepped out of his embrace. He picked up the angel and put her atop the tree. With a snap of his fingers, her halo lit up. As did all the ornaments. The tree was an ethereal sight to behold. Gavin’s apartment had never housed anything like it.

Gavin turned to Nines, who had been watching them closely, brows furrowed. He quickly rearranged his features and smiled before looking up at the tree and blinking twice. The phone buzzed in response to an Instagram notification. _@NNFOX900 mentioned you in their story._

Gavin opened it to see a spectacular shot of the sight before them, framed such that his living room appeared a lot larger than it actually was. _No contest. @dontbeGReedy @CONartist_800 have the best tree in town._

A few small smiles went around the room again. 

Nines then pulled a dogeared notebook out of his bag and sat down at Gavin’s dining table. The partners exchanged glances. This was an unusual practice in 2039, even for humans.

“Both of you, please carry on. As you were. Don’t let me bother you. I’m just going to run through some stuff from today. Came over ’cause I needed a change of scene… ”

He waved at them dismissively, already filling the pages up with messy scribblings and diagrams. 

Gavin frowned and sat down next to him. What could he possibly be working on? All he and Tina had done so far was to intentionally embark on a wild goose chase. Surely that hadn’t brought them any new information on the victim?

For his part, Connor didn’t seem to care. He joined them at the table and stared silently at the Christmas tree he had practically manifested.

Gavin put his hand on Nines’ wrist.

“Babe, what are you doing?”

“Hmm…?”

“I didn’t think there was anything… _complicated_ about the arrest you made today.”

“Oh no, of course not. This is everything else that I was doing. In my head. Helps to put it all down on paper.”

Connor kept his eyes on the tree.

“Okay… talk to me, Nines.”

“Dad said to look up Davidson’s wife under the cover of other criminal investigations. I know that you and Tina clearly buy into that. Which is why she made me engage in some good old fashioned police brutality today.”

Connor’s LED spun once and got stuck on yellow. 

“Babe, we’ve been watching that man for months. He’s been cooking the books and defrauding his investors at the very least.”

“ _Hmm_ . Anyway, I did what you all wanted. Checked out every known associate of Hilaria Davidson. Found nothing. So I’m checking out every previously _unknown_ associate.”

“Er… what?”

“Pulled CCTV records of all her movements from the six months before she died. I’m flagging every atypical interaction with members of the public for further research.”

“That’s hundreds of hours of footage to run your analytics on.”

“Yes, so I’m figuring out the best way to do that. Right now it seems like it’ll take three days for me to run through the entire stack of videos.”

Nines glanced at Connor, who remained as still as ever. His LED blazed yellow. He looked far less human than Gavin was accustomed to. He then spoke without moving his gaze from the glowing tree.

“Throw out all interactions within a two mile radius of her home. Then filter for men aged 45 and below. That should bring the processing time down to around ten hours. Split it with me and we can finish before midnight.”

Nines put his pen down.

“Surely that’s not exhaustive enough, Detective.”

“It’s not. But by all means… have fun catching more fish to buy yourself the time.”

“That was kind of the plan…”

“Look. Going through all the footage will generate several individual leads which we will have to apply judgement on separately, and we don’t know how deep each one will take us. It’s better to define some parameters at a macro level.”

“And how did you arrive at those… parameters?”

“The Davidson house is in a neighbourhood full of the exact same kind of people. It’s unlikely that she scheduled clandestine meetings in the vicinity. Their postcode has a two mile radius. So… yeah. As for filtering for men… I don’t think I need to explain why.”

“Humour me, Detective.”

“Have you _seen_ a picture of Hilaria?”

“Yes…?”

“And it did nothing for you? I find that hard to believe even if you like dick.”

Nines’ LED ran through a number of colours in an instant before settling on yellow. He looked down at his notes hurriedly. Gavin cut in. 

“Okay, Con, we get the point. Enough with the sex positivity. Save it for your paintings.”

Connor finally turned to face the couple, smirking. He was clearly back in his element. It dawned on Gavin that it was probably the prospect of intense data crunching. 

“Sure. I’m taking commissions.”

He held his hand out to Nines. The skin peeled away. 

“Gimme access. Let’s go. Just five hours and then we can start digging for real.”

Nines balked at the gleaming plastic hand.

“You’re off the case.”

“So I’m not investigating. I’m looking through our city data.”

“You don’t have login rights during your suspension.”

“Really? Nathaniel Fox _Junior_ is going to tell me I don’t have _login rights._ My Dad and yours would’ve never made it past their first year on the Force if they thought like that. _Come on.”_

Nines turned to Gavin, looking positively alarmed.

“Babe, I’m not in a position to say anything to you in an official capacity… so I’m okay with anything you’re comfortable with. If you want to go by the book, don’t talk to us at all. Just support Tina however she needs you to. 

But somehow your Dad and I are all up in it anyway… so, what’s the point? And now Connor knows too…”

Connor rested his hand on the table, palm up.

“Nines… I can see your stress levels going through the fucking roof. Relax. For one, I can’t hurt you… your model has cybersecurity measures my designers didn’t dream of. Two, if you can’t trust me… just trust the faith that Markus and Gavin have in me. Three, this is still just your Dad’s plan. _Remember?”_

Nines nodded slowly. 

“I don’t know what the hell is happening. Let it be known that I’m taking no responsibility.”

He reached out and accepted the interface. A moment later, it ended and both androids’ LEDs spun at top speed. 

Connor sat back and resumed his observation of the tree. Nines put his head down on the table. Gavin rubbed his eyes. It seemed… that he would have company for the rest of the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sei la cosa più bella che mi sia mai capitata. = You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  
> \---------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Been a long time since I've updated this one. Oops. Got a little sidetracked by my other Reed900 fic, "LOOK AT ME", which you can find on this same AO3 profile. If you've read this far and stuck with me this long, a big thank you.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which Nines is distinctly less sophisticated than he usually is.
> 
> Flagging the chapter for language (as usual) and sex (though at this point, is that even surprising?)

**DECEMBER 14, 2039 - 01:22**

_Rivervalley Apartments, Farmington Hills_

“Ungghhhh… mffffff… ahhhhh…. _DAI METTIMELO DENTRO. FAMMELO SENTIRE DENTRO. COME ON, is that all you got?”_

Gavin was trying his best. He really was.

“SI, CONTINUA, NON FERMARTI! Dontstopdontstopdontstop… _ohhhh…”_

Even with a mechanical hand crushing his throat and his face pressed into the mattress… Nines was a very loud and very bossy bottom. Every slight change in angle, every fresh squeeze of his ass resulted in a yell, a moan or a series of Italian expletives. Or all of the above. Gavin was glad they had not tried this at the Fox residence.

“Come on! _Please!_ I don’t want to have to touch myself!”

He wasn’t complaining… but he wasn’t sure why exactly they were having sex. Or why it felt more like he was being punished for something. 

Ignoring the seizing of muscles in his back (he would regret this in the morning), he dropped his left hand to Nines’ hip and picked up the pace. That thankfully made the android non-verbal. Heavy sighs and moans echoed through the room in tandem with the bed frame rattling against the wall. 

It was all very sexy. There was no denying that… but a nagging feeling slowly made its way to the forefront of his mind. He hated himself for thinking of Kamski at a time like this… but there was something off about the dynamics between them. 

“Nines, are you mad at me?”

“... _whaaaaat?”_

“I don’t know I just-”

“Why would I be mad? I’m not mad.”

“I mean… we’re not interfacing…”

“Ughhh… ah.. I… fuck… I’ve had enough of digital shit tonight. Told you before that I don’t wanna be a walking computer anymore than I have to for the job. Just fuck me like you would any whore you’d normally find behind a bar.”

Gavin froze. _Where the hell had that come from?_ He released Nines’ throat and stroked his cheek. He lightly touched the LED that had not been blue in hours.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Shut up and fuck me, you asshole!”

“Okay fine! But the second you come you better talk to me. You’ve been weird since you guys finished your analysis.”

“ _SHUT. UP._ ”

Thoroughly annoyed for the first time in their relationship, Gavin pulled out. He flipped Nines onto his back, subconsciously noting that he was handling his boyfriend more roughly than even the most drunken stranger to have visited his bed. He then re-entered him with a force that would have surely left a human needing medical attention. Nines closed his eyes and bit down hard on his lip as Gavin’s balls slapped obscenely against his rear. The prick was actually getting off on this. 

Neither of them spoke for a while. Gavin also closed his eyes and let himself be carried away by the physical pleasure. For minutes, he didn’t spare a single thought for Nines. It was only when he found himself on the brink that his eyes flew open. Nines was a sight to behold. His hands were twisted in the bedsheets and the synth skin had completely retracted from his cock. It lay rigid and leaking against his perfect abdomen. A glossy sculpture of carbon fibre and engineered rubber. It reminded Gavin of a luxury sex toy he’d considered buying but avoided due to the cost. He bit back a laugh but couldn’t keep himself from smiling. Nines scowled at him, chest heaving.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing… babe, I’m really close…”

“No.”

“ _What?_ ”

“Make me come first.”

“ _Goddammit.”_

He thought of Fowler yelling at him… his go-to memory for whenever he had to make himself last longer. Worked like a charm to stave off his orgasm, but it didn’t solve the problem of Nines pouting underneath him. Gavin considered his options. Choking hadn’t really done anything… maybe because androids didn’t really need to breathe… but threatening physical integrity seemed to do the trick… 

He ran his hands over Nines’ chest, kneading the artificial flesh here and there… twisting a nipple… and finally, rubbing the circular feature at the base of the android’s sternum. The skin peeled away to reveal the glow of a thirium pump regulator. 

He prayed that his gut feel was right and slipped his fingers around the rim of the biocomponent. Nines moaned. He twisted until he heard a click. Blue blood welled up from the cavity as Nines’ LED went bright red. Gavin lunged forward, practically bending Nines in half and kissed him messily. All his skin disappeared for a split second and he came _hard_. Synthetic ejaculate mixed with thirium. 

Not wanting to destroy his sheets further or actually endanger his lover’s life, Gavin quickly twisted the regulator back into place. The sheer bliss on Nines’ face pushed him back onto the edge. He backed up and started to pull out… but Nines suddenly grabbed his arms and held him in place. Silver eyes bore into his.

“Dammelo tutto.” 

Somehow, Gavin understood. He climaxed… staying inside Nines all the way… spilling every drop within the confines of that passageway to heaven. He fell on top of Nines, splattering android blood and come everywhere. A year ago, the thought of it would have made him puke his guts out. Today, he merely parted his lips in anticipation of a kiss. 

The kiss happened. But very briefly. Nines pushed him aside and sat up. He got off the bed and stalked into the bathroom, spunk oozing down the back of his legs. The shower came on. Gavin remained where he was. Anxiety gnawed at him again. Was there something really the matter or was it the conversation with Kamski making him imagine things?

“ _GAVIN?!?”_

He sighed.

“It’s an all-in-one, babe. I don’t have conditioner or whatever the phck it is you want.”

“ _What?_ No.. I… just come in here.”

Gavin rolled off the bed and dragged himself to the open doorway of his ensuite.

“What?”

The shower door slid open and he was pulled under the stream of water. Nines wrapped himself around him and pressed soft kisses to his shoulder. 

“Sorry.”

“Forgiven. Just tell me you’re okay.”

Nines clamped his mouth over Gavin’s throat. He kissed and sucked his way up slowly until their lips met. They stayed that way for a while, tongues and flaccid cocks in contact. Nines broke away first and grabbed the body wash. He lathered up his hands and set to work on Gavin’s sticky chest. 

“I’m okay. Just a bit moody from all the shit today. Honestly, I was hoping to have you to myself and Anderson seriously got on my nerves... even if he was right and narrowing our search got us those five very plausible leads.”

Gavin nodded. 

“Okay. I thought as much. I don’t hold that against you.”

“And I’m kicking myself for posting that story about your stupid pretty tree. The interior decorator of a hotel we’re opening a restaurant at wants to meet the _artist_. Meanwhile I wish I could have given you something as thoughtful. When you’re doing so much for my family. And I’m jealous that I’m not your first. That I’m actually in the high double digits of your body count. I really wish I hadn’t asked Tina about your dating life. She tried not to say anything but I figured it out anyway. And she’s got a worrying suspicion that her boyfriend and our Captain blew all their savings on your arm. And I don’t know how I feel about all that. And -”

“NINES.”

Gavin held his hands up. He slowly brought them down on Nines’ cheeks. Standing on his toes, he stretched up and planted a deep kiss on the android’s plush lips. 

“I love you. I thought we were clear about that? Interfacing and sharing minds and all that shit. Thought we shot right past any uncertainty. Thought we got each other. I may have been with ten or ten thousand people before you. None of them matter anymore. Some of them never did. You don’t have anything to worry about or be jealous of. You are the only person I’ve ever been serious about. Know that. You are my first _love._ Okay?

As for Connor. Yes. He’s a big part of my life. I don’t know how it happened but he is. He’s family. And I know things are weird between your Dad and his, but I don’t really give a shit about the grudges that old farts carry. I care for Con in one way and you in another. The way I see it, those two things are mutually exclusive.”

Nines nodded. 

“If you wanna rant about a case, do it. If you wanna bitch about someone, do it. If you wanna do something your way in bed, do it… _but give me a heads up, please._ I’m yours, baby. Don’t let anything in your head tell you otherwise.”

Nines pulled him back in and held him under the shower for a long time. Gavin tried not to think of the bill.

Later in bed, with Nines lying across him and the phone back against his tricep, Gavin replied to the text messages he had previously ignored. 

_To Nate: Don’t bother finding us more random crooks to round up. Just have your staff look out for five names. Nines will text you over an encrypted private chat._

_To Tina: Thanks for setting up a good cover with the arrest today. We don’t need to do any more crook fishing though. We have some real names to look at. Nines will explain tomorrow._

_To Mom: I’m off for the rest of the month. Come visit. I have a much nicer place and an actual tree this year. And there’s someone I want you to meet…_

_To Kamski: Didn’t get round to reminding them about reality or any of that social experiment shit. But I think you might have enough data without it._

The reply came back immediately.

_Kamski: What did you say to them?_

_Gavin: Didn’t say anything. They both came over and made themselves at home and started working on a case_

_Kamski: And? What did you observe? Detective, you know what I’m interested to hear. Don’t beat around the bush!_

_Gavin: Three things._

_Kamski: YES_

_Gavin: 1)They love me. So much that I think they struggle with expressing it. Today it took the form of a grand gesture and a small tantrum. I’ll let you guess who did what._

_2)They are scarily like their fathers. This isn’t shit you programmed right? To mirror their human associates?_

_3)They don’t get along very well. Probably because their Dads ended their partnership on a bad note. But I also think, as much as I hate to flatter myself, that they’re each jealous of the other’s relationship with me._

_Kamski: Excellent. Have either of them mentioned future plans? I want to know how far ahead they’re projecting_

_Gavin: Not very far. Con’s starting a short art residency program and Nines mentioned a road trip next summer. But I did once accidentally see his preconstruction of our wedding. I don’t know if that means anything._

_Kamski: Sounds very human._

_Gavin: Is that surprising to you? They’re both deviants with human family..._

_Kamski: Thank you, Detective. You’ve been most helpful. Good night._

_Gavin: What? That’s it? You’re not going to tell me what any of it means? Whether the android population is going to stay mentally sound or not?_

_Kamski: I’m not a magician! I need time to think! I build a new life form and suddenly everyone thinks I can read minds and predict the future._

_Gavin: Can’t you?_

_Kamski: Actually yes. Cyberlife algorithms can do that to a certain degree of accuracy. Hey, that’s an idea! Maybe I can run what you told me through a behaviour simulation. Thank you! Bye!_

He sighed and closed his eyes. His head spun with the information overload. The Davidson case. Giuliana Trattoria. Nourished Soul by Cyberlife. Kamski’s hypothesis. Connor’s state of mind. The remaining threads of his relationship with his overworked mother. His longtime friendship with Tina, and her supervision of Nines. _Nines. Nines. Nines._ The kindness of Eleonora Fox. Elio, the victim and new deviant. Nico and Noel. Nate and Hank. Fowler’s expectations and disappointment. His own goddamn cyberprosthetic RK arm. And _phcking_ androids. It had only been a year since the Revolution. How had life changed that much? What should have just been another year over was a literal metamorphosis for him. It was both exhilarating and exhausting. Especially when he thought of all the various pieces of responsibility he suddenly bore.

 _Phck it_ , he thought, stopping himself from spiraling. This was the same pattern he always fell into. Forgetting to live in the here and now. Thinking he was made for a higher purpose than just belonging to the people around him. That was how he’d ended up pretty much alone… and realised quite late in life. Gavin held Nines tighter as he pushed everything to the back of his mind. Even in stasis, the android reciprocated, snuggling closer.

It seemed… that there was _a lot_ to resolve in the world, but not all of it had to be his problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some handy Italian lovemaking phrases for anyone who's interested:  
> DAI METTIMELO DENTRO. FAMMELO SENTIRE DENTRO = I wanna feel you inside me  
> SI, CONTINUA, NON FERMARTI = Yes, keep going, don't stop  
> Dammelo tutto = Give me all of it

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Reader,  
> This is the second piece I've written about Nines and Gavin. It's got a very slice-of-life, real world feel but I think there's something for everyone. A bit of action, bit of humour, a lot of character development and romance, and fair bit of sex... 
> 
> I've never been an active participant of any fandom until I discovered DBH. Writing this piece, as well as my previous one, has been a very fruitful exercise for me. I have a very normal corporate job, but as I'm now entering my late twenties, I'm contemplating doing something else with my life. Perhaps writing, in some form or fashion. So if you've got any thoughts or feedback on my work, please, please let me know. 
> 
> Much love,  
> M
> 
> Small Note: the elements of the story revolving around Gavin's cybernetic arm have been inspired by "Firsts Have Flaws" by the legendary @same_side  
> (https://archiveofourown.org/works/16566308)


End file.
